Make a request for personal data

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to request information that the Council holds about you. You can request copies of your records from the Council by making a Subject Access Request (SAR).

Your individual rights under GDPR

Under data protection law, you can request the following:

• the right to be informed: to know how your data is used by Waltham Forest Council
• the right of access: to receive a copy of your records held by the Council (see the section on making a SAR to the Council)
• the right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data held about you
• the right to erasure: in certain circumstances, to have your data deleted
• the right to restrict processing: to limit how your data is used or processed
• the right to data portability: if you wish to transfer your data from one Local authority to another for example you can ask us to do this for you
• the right to object: if you do not wish for your data to be processed based on legitimate interests or direct marketing for example, you can ask us to stop doing this
• rights related to automated decision-making: to request human review of decisions made by automated systems

The Council will assess your request and provide the outcome to you. The outcome you receive will depend on the whether there are any laws, regulations or statutory obligations that the Council must fulfil. You will be advised as to whether your request can be complied with partially, in full or if it is necessary to refuse your request. If your request is refused in part or in full, you will be advised of the basis of the refusal.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, including access to your personal data, you can do so by submitting a request as outlined below.

A SAR allows you to request a copy of your personal information held by the Council. Examples of this are:

• your Council Tax records
• your Tenancy records

We aim to respond to SARs within one calendar month. If your request is complex and may take longer, or if we require further information from you to process your request, we will let you know.

To make a SAR, please:

1. use our online form or write to us at the address below
2. provide proof of identity, such as a passport or driving licence
3. if you are acting on behalf of someone else (e.g. a child or family member), you will also need to supply:

• proof of their identity
• evidence of your authority to act on their behalf (e.g. power of attorney)

You can upload documents securely through our online form.

Please note that some of your personal information may be held by other organisations, including:

• HMRC
• the Police
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
• other Local Authorities

We can only provide data held by Waltham Forest Council. To find out who else may hold your data, visit the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) public register

You can also read Waltham Forest Council privacy notices.