The protection of your personal information is extremely important to The Thread. We will only collect, process and store your personal data as set out in this Privacy Policy and in compliance with applicable data protection legislation.
This Privacy Policy relates to how we use the information you provide when you visit https://thethread.renfrewshire.gov.uk. The policy is reviewed annually and was last updated in July 2020. We will also provide notifications of material changes via email or other channels.
We have a separate page that explains how we use Cookies on this website.
If you have any queries or concerns, please contact us on: 0300 300 0300 or dataprotection@renfrewshire.gov.uk
What type of information do we collect about you from this website?
We collect information about you:
- when you provide us with your personal details (such as your name, contact details, email address, etc.) by submitting an enquiry via https://thethread.renfrewshire.gov.uk
- when you respond to surveys which we ask you to complete for research purposes
- from your usage of the website or send to us via email or other means
How do we handle your information?
We recognise that your personal information belongs to you and we don’t wish to use it in ways that you don’t want us to. When we ask you for personal information, we will:
- make sure you know why we need it
- ask only for what we need
- protect your personal information and make sure nobody has access to it who shouldn’t
- take proportionate precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal information
- let you know if we share it with any other organisations
- make sure we don’t keep it longer than necessary
- not use your personal information for marketing without your permission
In return, we ask you to:
- give us accurate information
- tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes (such as new contact details)
This helps us to keep your information reliable and up to date.
How long will we keep your information for?
We will retain your data for as long as it is needed to respond to your enquiry. Once the Council no longer needs to keep your information, it will be securely destroyed. Please let us know if you would prefer your information to be securely destroyed before this time.
Who has access to your information and who will we share your information with?
Your details will be accessed by the Council staff who need this to provide you with a service and if the service is provided by an external agency, that agency.
No information will be passed to third party organisations for them to contact you directly themselves.
Sharing information with public and law enforcement bodies
We are legally obliged to share certain data with other public bodies such as Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and will do so where the law requires this. We will also generally comply with requests for specific information from other regulatory and law enforcement bodies where this is necessary and proportionate. Information is also analysed internally in-order to provide management information and improve service delivery.
Profiling and automatic decision making
We do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes.
Transferring your information outside the UK or European Economic Area
The Council will not transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA)unless this cannot be avoided. The Council will only transfer data outside the UK and the EEA when it is satisfied that the party which will handle the data and the country it is processing it in will provide adequate safeguards for personal privacy. On the occasions when it does transfer your information outside the UK or the European Economic Area, the Council will inform you.
What are your rights?
You have the following rights:
- The right to be informed about how your information will be used
- The right of access to your personal information
- The right to rectification, which is the right to require the Council to correct any mistakes
- The right to request the erasure of any personal information held by the Council where the Council no longer has legal reason to hold the information
- The right to request that your information is only processed in certain ways
- The right to data portability
- The right to object to the Council processing your personal information
These are not absolute rights are there may be circumstances where the Council is legally obliged to process your information in a particular way. Some examples are listed below.
How can you complain about the use of your information?
When we ask you for information, we will abide by all relevant legislation, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, if you are unhappy with the way we process your personal data you have the right to complain. Any complaints regarding your data should be addressed to the Data Protection Officer, Allison Black on dataprotection@renfrewshire.gov.uk. If the matter is not resolved, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office, who can also provide independent data protection advice. The address and contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Officer are:
45 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HL
Telephone: 0131 244 9001
Email: scotland@ico.org.uk
You can email the Data Protection Officer dataprotection@renfrewshire.gov.uk for more details on:
- what information we hold about you and how to ask us to correct any mistakes
- agreements we have with other organisations for sharing information
- circumstances where we can pass on your information without telling you, for example, to prevent and detect crime or produce anonymised statistics
- our instructions to staff on how to collect, use and delete your personal information and
- how we check information we hold is accurate and up to date
If you do not have access to the internet, you can contact us on 0300 300 0300 for hard copies of any of this information.