Obtaining information about me
Access to my personal information
Data Protection legislation allows you to access your personal information that the council holds. A request for your personal information is known as a Subject Access Request.
More information on subject access requests can be found on the Information Commissioner Officer (ICO) website.
You can make a subject access request by asking us for copies of the information we hold about you.
In order to do this, you must provide your name, address, date of birth, and details of the information you are requesting. Please provide as much information as you can to help us locate the data you require, for example your previous history with service areas. You must also provide proof of identification.
This may be:
- A copy of your birth certificate
- A copy of your passport
- A copy of your driving licence
- Verification by a Council Officer who has been working with you
- Proof of change of name (if applicable).
If you cannot provide any of the above, a copy of two different utility bills and/ or bank statements from within the past three months.
Once you have this information you can complete our online form under ‘Request’ and then ‘Information’.
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
Data Request
Audit and Governance Team,
Tewkesbury Borough Council,
Public Services Centre,
Gloucester Road,
Tewkesbury
GL20 5TT
or send us an email to subject.request@tewkesbury.gov.uk.
The council has many systems where information can be held in order to provide all of our services. There is not one central location where all personal data is stored. To find the information that you have requested, multiple systems and individuals may need to be searched or asked for the information.
Without the clarification and specific details, we may not be able to locate all the personal data you require. If you are unable to provide this information, we will take proportionate searches based on the details you have provided to us.
Once we have received your request, we will check your request and identification.
By law we must provide you with a copy of your information within one calendar month. There might be instances where we may need to extend the response time. Where this happens, we will be in contact with you.
If we do not hold the information you have requested, we will inform you as soon as possible.
Under the Data Protection Act 2018, there are some exemptions as a result of legal reasons that mean we may have to withhold some information from your response. A list of exemptions that could apply can be found here: ICO’s guide to the data protection exemptions.
If any information has been taken out of your response, we will tell you and the reason why it is not being released.
If, after receiving the response to your request, you are not happy or think there is any information missing, in the first instance, an informal resolution should be sought in an attempt to clarify outstanding points or resolve any misunderstanding.
However, you do have the right to complain to us where we will carry out an internal review. If you think personal information is missing from the response, please clearly list what other information you think we hold and any other information relating to this information, e.g. dates or service area the information relates to. This will help us when we come to review our records.
The internal review will be carried out by a senior officer within one calendar month.
Please send your request for a review, explaining the reason for your request, to subject.request@tewkesbury.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can write to us or call our Corporate Services Officer.
If you have already complained to us and you are still not happy with the handling of your response, then you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You will need to raise this complaint with the ICO within three months of your last meaningful contact with us.
To make a complaint to the ICO, complete their online form which can be found on the ICO website.
Alternatively, you can contact their helpline on 0303 123 1113. Their normal opening hours are Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (excluding bank holidays).
To respond to your request, we might need to share your request, including your contact details, with one of our partner organisations. Please read our privacy statement for more information.