Privacy Notice (privacy policy)

The Councils try to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information in accordance with data protection law.

Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council (the Councils) are the registered Data Controllers.

This Privacy Notice tells you what to expect when Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council collects personal information. It applies to information we collect about:

See also:

Visitors to www.adur-worthing.gov.uk

Tracking

When someone visits www.adur-worthing.gov.uk we use third party services, Google Analytics and Siteimprove, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through our website, we will be up front about this. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it.

Use of Cookies and other Tracking Technologies

For information on how we use cookies and other tracking technologies please see our Cookies page.

Search engine

Our website search is powered by Cludo. Search queries and results are logged anonymously to help us improve our website and search functionality. No user-specific data is collected by either the Councils or any third party.

See:

Security

We take great care to ensure the security of this website and your personal information. We have put in place appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the safety and security of the information we collect online. Any third party processing such information on the Councils' behalf is contractually obliged to put in place similar measures.

Following a link to another website

If you go to another website from this one, read the Privacy Notice on that website to find out what it does with your information.

Following a link to www.adur-worthing.gov.uk from another website

If you come to www.adur-worthing.gov.uk from another website, we may receive information from the other website. We don't use this data. You should read the Privacy Notice of the website you came from to find out more about this.

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People who contact us via social media

The Councils use a range of social media services to publicise Council news, stories, offers and events and to receive comments and feedback from residents including through direct messages, which are private, and through posts which are public to other social media users.

The information you provide via social media is subject to the social media service providers' privacy notices and policies. Any information you post on the Councils' social media platforms is also subject to the Councils' social media policy.

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People who call our Contact Centre

When you call our Contact Centre we may record your call to help us monitor performance and improve customer interactions with the Councils, and to assist us with training customer service advisers. Call recording can include any incoming or outgoing telephone calls handled by the Contact Centre, but if payment is required, your payment details will not be included in any recording. Any conversations that take place following the transfer of a phone call to another of the Councils' departments will not be recorded. Call recordings are destroyed after three months.

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People who email us

Any email sent to us, including any attachments, may be monitored and used by us for reasons of security and for monitoring compliance with office policy. Email monitoring or blocking software may also be used. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send to us is within the bounds of the law.

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People who fill in forms on our website

When someone visits www.adur-worthing.gov.uk they may need to complete a form which asks for your name, address, phone number, email address or other personal information. We ask for this information so that we can process your enquiry, request or survey. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the personal information you enter into any form or document on our website is processed using the Legal Basis stated in the respective Privacy Notice.

We use:

  • Google forms - for surveys and some short forms
  • Top Level / Outreach forms - for applying or paying for things
  • MatsSoft forms - for applying for things

Note:

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People who sign up to the Councils' newsletters

The Councils use MailChimp to produce newsletters that you may choose to sign up to.

You can read the MailChimp privacy policy here: 

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People who use the Councils' services

This Privacy Notice was drafted with brevity and clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of the Councils' collection and use of personal information. Please refer to the specific service 'Privacy Notice' you are using for details of how your personal data is being used.

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Information we share

The Councils use commercial companies and partners to either store personal information or to manage it on our behalf. Where we have these arrangements there is a contract, memorandum of understanding or information sharing protocol in place to ensure that the organisation complies with data protection law.

For legal reasons we may have to share personal information with organisations or individuals outside the Councils if that access, use, preservation or disclosure of the information is reasonably necessary to:

  • meet any applicable law, regulation, court order, legal process or enforceable governmental request, or
  • for the detection and prevention of crime/fraudulent activity, or
  • if there are serious risks to the public, our staff or to other professionals, or
  • to protect a child or to protect adults who are thought to be at risk

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Your rights

Under the Data Protection law, you have rights as an individual which you can exercise in relation to the information we hold about you. 

Further information about your rights is available on the website of the Information Commissioner's Office.

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Access to personal information

The Councils try to be as open as they can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. Individuals can find out if we hold any personal information by making a 'subject access request' under the Data Protection legislation. See:

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Information retention and disposal

The Council's Information Disposal Schedule below contains details of when information and records can be disposed of. Some information is kept on permanent records, eg Committee Reports. Other records such as financial, personnel, VAT and commercial have to be kept for a period to comply with the law. Most other information need only be kept for as long as the information is of value and is being used for business or audit purposes.

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Changes to this Privacy Notice

We keep our Privacy Notice under regular review. This Privacy Notice was last updated on 05/10/2020.

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Service Privacy Notices

The following services have published their own Privacy Notices, you can access them using the links below:
(listed alphabetically)

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How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, or the collection and use of personal information, please see the contact:

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