Our commitment to your information
Sefton Council is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your data protection rights. We aim to be open and fair about how we use personal data.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to complain.
What you can complain about
- The way we have responded to your subject access request (SAR), or another rights request
- Used your personal data unfairly or unlawfully
- Used your data for the wrong purpose
- Kept your data for longer than necessary
- Shared your data without a lawful reason
- Failed to keep your data secure
- Not respected your data protection rights, such as access or correction
How to make a complaint
You can make a data protection complaint by contacting us.
Please tell us:
- Your full name and contact details
- What your concern is
- What personal data is involved (if you know)
- When the issue happened
- What outcome you would like
Contact details
Email: Ino.information@sefton.gov.uk
Telephone: 0345 140 0845
Post: Complaints team (Data Protection Complaint)
Sefton Council
Magdalen House
30 Trinity Road
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 3NJ
Providing proof of identity
We may ask you for proof of your identity (ID) before we investigate your complaint. This helps ensure that we are dealing with the correct person and that personal data is only shared with the right person.
We may ask you to provide:
- One document with your photo, such as a passport or driving licence, and
- One document showing your address, such as a recent utility bill or council tax bill
If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we will also need:
- An appropriate power of attorney; or
- A signed letter of authority from the person you are acting on behalf of; and
- Proof of their identity
If we do not have evidence that a third party is authorised to act on someone’s behalf, we will not investigate the complaint until we receive the appropriate authority.
We only use identity documents to confirm who you are. They are kept securely and destroyed when no longer needed.
What we will do
- We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days
- We will look into your concern fairly and carefully
- We may contact you if we need more information
- We will aim to provide a full response within 30 calendar days
- If we require ID from you, the timescale for receiving a full response will commence from the date we receive your ID
If your complaint is complex and needs more time, we will explain why and keep you informed.
If you make a complaint using social media, we will ask you for an alternative, secure way of providing a response.
What could happen next
After reviewing your complaint, we may:
- Explain how and why your data has been used
- Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- Change how we handle personal data
- Apologise if we have made a mistake
- Take steps to prevent the issue happening again
- If we believe we have complied with data protection law we will explain this to you
If you are not satisfied
If you are unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent authority for data protection.
ICO contact details
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Post:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
The ICO normally expects you to contact us first so that we have the opportunity to resolve your concern.
Keeping records
We keep records of data protection complaints and how they are handled. These records are kept securely and only for as long as necessary.
Changes to this procedure
This procedure may be updated to reflect changes in the law or guidance.