Do Councillors have a right to personal data held by the Council?
No, Councillors do not have an automatic right to see the personal data of residents held by the Council.
However, where a Councillor has been approached by you as a constituent for assistance with a matter, the Councillor may need to obtain any relevant personal data about you from the Council.
In this case, the Council considers that you have given your implied consent for the Council to disclose your personal data to the Councillor. In some cases, for the absence of any doubt, a Councillor may ask you to provide your written consent for this purpose.
Disclosures to the Police and other law enforcement bodies
Disclosures to the police and other law enforcement bodies are covered by the exemption which relates to law enforcement.
However, before the Council discloses any personal data under this exemption, we must be satisfied that the request for information is genuine and is in connection with a specific investigation or enquiry.
