Privacy Notice for Customer Services

Data Controller: Mole Valley District Council

Mole Valley District Council (“MVDC”) is the body exercising control over the purpose for which and the manner in which your personal data is processed.

Data Controller’s contact details:

MVDC Pippbrook, Dorking RH4 1SJ. Telephone: 01306 885001.

Data Protection Officer:

Mr Tom Penlington (Solicitor). Telephone: 01306 879354

The legal basis for and the purposes of the processing:

MVDC has a Customer Service Unit (“CSU”) to resolve customer enquiries at first point of contact to the council or refer to the relevant service area if necessary.

CSU is covered by the MVDC Privacy and Cookies Policy for processing information for and on behalf of relevant service areas and specifically in respect of:

  • Complaints investigated at Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the council’s Complaints Policy.
  • Information requests submitted under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) 2000 and The Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.
  • Subject Access Requests (requests for personal information) submitted under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulations (UK GDPR).

The source of the personal data:

We hold a wide range of personal information so far as is necessary to deal with and/or resolve customer queries, requests and complaints. This may include names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, date of birth, financial and social information as well as special category data. Special category data includes information about a person’s ethnic origin, political opinions or religious beliefs.

The information we hold is usually provided to us by customers with their consent for it to be used to deal with and/or resolve queries, requests and complaints.

Recipients and categories of recipients of the personal data:

The data you provide is received by CSU and is only shared with the service area relevant to the query, request or complaint.

Further information on onward transfers:

MVDC will not transfer the personal data you have provided outside of the UK or European Union unless this is permitted in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018

How long the personal data will be kept for:

The personal data you have supplied will be retained and destroyed in accordance with MVDC’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedule.

Statutory Obligations to provide the personal data:

There is no statutory obligation on you to provide any personal data about you, however, if you do not we may be unable deal with and/or resolve your query or request to the Council.

Automated Decision Making:

The personal data provided by you will not be used for any automated decisions.

Data Subject Rights:

From 25 May 2018 you will have some specific rights in respect of your personal data. These may include some or all of the following rights to:

  • see what personal data about you MVDC holds at any time (subject to certain caveats, for example where third parties are identified);
  • have MVDC correct any errors (if any) in the personal data it holds about you
  • request your personal data is erased (though this right will not apply where MVDC is processing your personal data because it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation).
  • request processing of your personal data is restricted (this will only apply in certain situations, for example where its accuracy is contested, where the processing is unlawful and you oppose its proposed erasure by MVDC, or where MVDC no longer needs to process the personal data but it is required by you in connection with legal claims).
  • following any changes to your personal data made as a result of (i) rectification, (ii) erasure, or (iii) restriction, MVDC will inform any third party recipients of the changes made, unless this is impossible or would involve disproportionate effort.
  • object to the processing where the processing is necessary for a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller (though MVDC will still be able to continue with the processing in certain circumstances, such as if there are compelling grounds for the processing which override your interests).
  • the Right to data portability which provides you with the right to receive personal data (which you have previously provided to MVDC) in a commonly used and readable format.

Will the personal data be processed for a different purpose?

No. If MVDC needs to inform recipients about any action it has taken under the Data Protection Act then it will do so by placing a Notice on MVDC’s website informing the public of any relevant changes

If you are dissatisfied with how your personal data is processed by MVDC then you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner who can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow SK9 5AF.

Google Analytics

MVDC uses Google Analytics software to collect information about how you use www.molevalley.gov.uk. MVDC does this to help make sure the site is meeting the needs of its users and to help us make improvements.

The cookies MVDC uses for this purpose are:

Universal Analytics

NamePurposeExpires
_gaThis helps us count how many people visit molevalley.gov.uk by tracking if you’ve visited before2 years
_gidThis helps us count how many people visit by tracking if you’ve visited before24 hours
_gatUsed to manage the rate at which page view requests are made10 minutes

Google Analytics

NamePurposeExpires
_utmaLike _ga, this lets us know if you’ve visited before, so we can count how many of our visitors are new to GOV.UK or to a certain page2 years
_utmbThis works with _utmc to calculate the average length of time you spend on GOV.UK30 minutes
_utmcThis works with _utmb to calculate when you close your browserWhen you close your browser
_utmzThis tells us how you reached GOV.UK (for example from another website or a search engine)6 months

How do I prevent being tracked by Google Analytics?

If you are uncomfortable with this tracking, you can take the following actions:

  • Use a tracking-blocker, such as Privacy Badger
  • Clear cookies after every browsing session

Install the Google Analytics opt-out extension.