Data Protection

The Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) establish a framework of rights and duties designed to safeguard personal data and to protect the individual’s right to privacy.

They apply to any body holding information about living individuals in electronic format and, in most cases, on paper.

Data protection

The legislation protects your privacy and ensures that your personal data is processed fairly and lawfully.

Personal data is information that can identify you, such as your name and address. It can also cover other information we may hold about you, such as benefits information.

Anyone holding personal data must comply with certain rules and conditions about good information handling. Further information about data protection can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Information held about you

Under the legislation, we are a data controller registered with the Information Commissioner. This means that we collect and process information about you so that services you require can be provided to you and records of those services can be maintained.

All personal data held is kept safe and secure and is not shared with anybody else without your knowledge, except where we are permitted to do so by law. If you would like to read our Privacy Notice.

Accessing your information

If you would like to see information you think is held about you:

  • Write to: Freedom of Information Officer, Mole Valley District Council, Pippbrook, Dorking, RH4 1SJ
  • Email FOI@molevalley.gov.uk
  • complete our online form:

Make a Subject Access Request ›

We process personal data for a number of purposes.  In order to deal with your request, the Freedom of Information Officer may ask you which purposes or services you wish to access so that your personal data can be located and retrieved.

Together with your request, you will need to send two forms of identification to confirm your identity and address.

Suitable examples include a copy of:

  • Your driving licence
  • Your birth certificate
  • Passport
  • A utility bill (or other) in the same name as the name of the requester to confirm your home address

In some cases, additional information may be required due to the sensitive nature of information held.

Once your request has been received, we will respond within one calendar month.

Privacy Notice: Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) is under a duty to release to Dorking Town Partnership Limited certain information about MVDC’s non domestic ratepayers in any proposed Dorking BID area.

The legal basis for this duty is set out in the Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004 (specifically Regulations 2 and 11).  A copy of the Regulations can be obtained on request from the Freedom of Information Officer.

Please email FOI@molevalley.gov.uk. 

Please note that additional personal information (the forwarding name, where provided, and also the forwarding address of ratepayers) has also been provided to Dorking Town Partnership Limited.

Data Protection Breach: Please note that the names, addresses and forward contact details of sole traders (and all other non domestic ratepayers) in the Dorking BID Proposal Areas were disclosed to Dorking Town Partnership Limited.

This disclosure amounted to a data protection breach on two counts; first the information was disclosed prior to the full conditions for processing (at Regulation 2) having been satisfied, and second, the forward contact details (insofar as they relate to personal information) are not required to be disclosed under the BID Regulations. The statutory conditions for processing have now been satisfied by Dorking Town Partnership (insofar as that is possible).  In the interests of transparency, however, we self reported the breach to the Information Commissioner, who has investigated the matter.

The Information Commissioners Office concluded its investigation and they found that whilst a breach was made no further regulatory action is required in this case and they now consider the matter closed.

The details of this decision can be obtained on request from the Freedom of Information Officer, please email FOI@molevalley.gov.uk.

Privacy Notice: Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) will be collecting the BID levy and forwarding the monies collected (less MVDC’s costs) to Dorking Town Partnership, which is the beneficiary of the levy funds. MVDC will also provide Dorking Town Partnership with personal information about levy payers. This information will be restricted to information about the amount of the levy for each levy payer, including the sums due and how much is outstanding for each property. In addition, Dorking Town Partnership will be provided with details of reminder notices issued by MVDC and Liability Orders (if any). Please refer to the Operating Agreement for full information about the nature of the disclosures.  MVDC considers that this processing complies with the first Data Protection Principle, which requires that all personal information is to be processed fairly and lawfully, because Dorking Town Partnership, being the beneficiary of the BID levy for Dorking, has a legitimate interest in being informed about individual payments and non payments, and action taken by MVDC to recover the Levy.

Any persons wishing to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner may do so in writing to The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF or via the ICO website.
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