This page tells you how Waltham Forest Council protects your privacy when using this web site and how we use any personal information you share with us.
Waltham Forest Council does not automatically capture your personal information when you visit our website unless the information is volunteered. Personal data is only collected when you complete an online form, or use an online service like My Place, that provides information personal to you or when you send an email to the Council.
Non-personal information
You can access and browse our website without disclosing personal data. This may be done by simply not completing an online form or service, or by not sending us emails.
Non-personal information is recorded automatically in two ways:
- By the web server that powers this web site. This data includes the pages visited by an individual, the user's IP address, the time of the visit, and the order of pages viewed. This information is for the sole purpose of making the website as responsive to visitors' needs as possible
- By Google Analytics. Google Analytics uses ‘cookies’ to help analyse how people are using the web site. Please see below for more details.
Google Analytics
This website uses Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. (‘Google’).
Google Analytics uses "cookies", which are text files placed on your computer, to help the website analyse how users use the site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.
Google uses this information to evaluate your use of our website, compiling reports on website activity and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf.
Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google.
You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
By using this website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
The personal information we collect
When you submit personal information to us, you are allowing and consenting to that information being used by us for the purpose of that service. All our employees and processors who have access to your personal data or who are involved in processing that data are obliged to respect your confidentiality. Information will not be passed onto third parties unless you grant permission.
Personal information is collected from you when you complete an online form, use an online service like My Place, which provides information personal to you or when you send an email to the Council.
This information will only be used for the purpose it was collected for.
We may pass your details on to third party service providers who are contracted to Waltham Forest Council to provide services on our behalf in the course of dealing with your request.These third parties are obliged to keep your details securely, will use them only to fulfil the request and will dispose of the information at the appropriate time.
If you do not wish certain information about you to be exchanged within the Council, you can request that this does not happen.
The Council will only disclose your information if it is lawful to do so in accordance with the principles under the Data Protection Act 1998. Further information as to what information and activities the Data Protection Act covers and how the Council complies with this Act can be found at www.walthamforest.gov.uk/faq-general-info
Our My Place service
My Place records details of:
- addresses you search for; and
- what you look at, including the map layers and individual locations.
We use this information to help improve the way My Place works. No personally identifiable data is stored. However, we do store details of your location such as your address or post code.
My Place remembers the location you chose for yourself by storing a cookie on your computer in order to save you having to set your location the next time you visit. To prevent this from happening, please clear the Remember my place tick box when you do an address search.
Confidentiality/security
We use a secure, encrypted transmission method to protect the information you send to us via the website.
All our employees and data processors with access to, and associated with the processing of, personal data are obliged to respect the confidentiality of our visitors’ personal data.
We ensure that your personal data will not be disclosed to government institutions and authorities except if required by law or other regulation, or as stated on individual online forms.
Sending us an email
Please note that the transmission of information by email to us is not a secure process and should not be used to send confidential or sensitive information.
The use of our email system may be monitored and communications read in order to secure effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes.
Internal Market Information System (IMI)
The Internal Market Information System (IMI) is a web based portal developed by the European Commission. It enables messages and information to be exchanged between authorities in a secure environment, and complies with data protection rules.
Competent authorities will use the system to exchange information on service providers who are in scope of the Services Directive. Authorities must have good reason to request information, and provide justification when submitting a request.
Only competent authorities involved in a request for information can see the personal details of a service provider.
All personal data is automatically deleted from the system six months after the closure of a request.
Under the IMI exchange of information may include personal data in order to correspond with other public administrations in other Member States for the purposes of requests.
UK competent authorities are obliged to notify service providers if they supply sensitive data about them, such as that relating to disciplinary action or criminal sanctions, to other authorities.
If you think that your personal data is in IMI and you would like to have access to it or have it deleted or rectified, you may do so by contacting the administration or the professional body with which you had contacts or any other IMI user that was involved in the request. If you were not satisfied with the answer received, you may either contact another IMI user involved or lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority of one of the IMI users involved in the request, which will assist you at no charge. A list of the data protection authorities is available at http//ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsi/privacy/national/index_en.htm
Please be aware that in some cases, national law may contain exceptions to your right to having access to your personal data.
External links
Our site contains links to other websites. This privacy policy applies only to Waltham Forest Council's website. When you are transferring to another site you should read their privacy statement for their policy on the use of personal information.
Legal definitions
In terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, Waltham Forest Council is the data controller of personal data (information relating to identifiable living individuals) collected or obtained by or through this website.
Any personal data collected through this website will be treated as confidential under the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.
The Council is registered with the Information Commissioner under the Data Protection Act 1998 and as a data controller (registration number Z7599838).
Changes
If this privacy statement changes in any way, we will place an updated version on this page.
