Privacy Policy
Introduction
Newcastle City Council is committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services. This is our Privacy Policy for Let's talk Newcastle Online, which sets out how we will do this.
Newcastle City Council is committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services. This is our Privacy Policy for Let's talk Newcastle Online, which sets out how we will do this.
If you need this information in a different format, such as large print, or you have questions about this, please contact us at: letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk or call: 0191 278 7878 and ask to speak to the Consultation Lead Officer.
Age Restrictions
Please note that, as our in Terms and Conditions, anyone under the age of 13 years old is not permitted to register or use this website.
Data Protection Officer
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we have a Data Protection Officer who makes sure we respect your rights and follow the law. If you have any concerns or questions about how we look after your personal information, or you require this information in another format, please contact the Newcastle City Council Data Protection Officer at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk.
What is 'personal information', and why do we collect it?
According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), personal information can be anything that identifies and relates to a living individual. This can include information that, when put together with other information, can then identify a person. For example, this could be your name and email address. We need people who register on the site to provide some of their personal information, such as their name (to help us prevent spam accounts), date of birth (so that we can confirm age), postcode (so that we can analyse responses by wards, identify whether responses are from inside Newcastle or not, and help to identify spam responses) and email address (so that we can verify registration, and contact registered users about consultations and any changes to the site).
According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), personal information can be anything that identifies and relates to a living individual. This can include information that, when put together with other information, can then identify a person. For example, this could be your name and email address. We need people who register on the site to provide some of their personal information, such as their name (to help us prevent spam accounts), date of birth (so that we can confirm age), postcode (so that we can analyse responses by wards, identify whether responses are from inside Newcastle or not, and help to identify spam responses) and email address (so that we can verify registration, and contact registered users about consultations and any changes to the site).
What is 'sensitive personal information’ (also called 'special category personal data'), and why do we collect it?
Some information is ‘sensitive personal information’, also called 'special category personal data', and needs more protection because of this. This includes personal data which reveals a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership; genetic data; biometric data (where used for identification purposes); and data concerning health, a person’s sex life, or their sexual orientation.
Collecting personal information, sensitive personal information, and information about protected characteristics
We collect some of this sensitive personal information when people register on Let's talk Newcastle Online, and may also ask for it when we carry out consultations (as not everyone who takes part in our consultations on this site is a registered member). Under the Equality Act 2010, we we are required to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty, including the duty to “advance equal opportunities", which means:
Some information is ‘sensitive personal information’, also called 'special category personal data', and needs more protection because of this. This includes personal data which reveals a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership; genetic data; biometric data (where used for identification purposes); and data concerning health, a person’s sex life, or their sexual orientation.
Collecting personal information, sensitive personal information, and information about protected characteristics
We collect some of this sensitive personal information when people register on Let's talk Newcastle Online, and may also ask for it when we carry out consultations (as not everyone who takes part in our consultations on this site is a registered member). Under the Equality Act 2010, we we are required to meet the Public Sector Equality Duty, including the duty to “advance equal opportunities", which means:
“Removing or reducing the disadvantage that people with protected characteristics face, taking steps to meet the specific needs of people with protected characteristics, and encouraging people with protected characteristics to participate fully in all activities, especially where they are under-represented.”
Without asking for information on participants' personal characteristics, we cannot be sure that we are doing this, as we would not be able to assess whether people with different characteristics are participating equally in our consultation and engagement work, and also we could not analyse responses to see if people with different personal characteristics experience disadvantages when accessing our services. Asking for this information thus helps us better understand the different issues facing different groups of people in Newcastle.
The lawful basis for collecting and using your personal information, including sensitive personal information, and information about protected characteristics
Newcastle City Council collects and uses your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The lawful bases we rely on are:
- Article 6(1)(a) - Consent: Where you have given us your consent to collect and use your personal information for a specific purpose.
- Article 6(1)(c) - Legal Obligation: Where it is necessary for the Council to process your personal information to comply with its legal obligations, including those arising under the Equality Act 2010.
Your right to withdraw consent
Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent by contacting the Council's Data Protection Officer at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk, stating which Council service you are using so that we can process your request appropriately. If you are a registered user of Let's talk Newcastle Online, you can remove your personal information by logging into your account and updating or deleting the information stored within your profile. If you need assistance, please contact letstalk@newcastle.gov.uk.
The lawful basis for collecting and using special category personal data
In certain circumstances, the Council may collect and process special category personal data (such as information relating to ethnic origin, health, disability, religion, or other protected characteristics). The lawful basis we rely on is:
- Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR - Substantial Public Interest: Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest. This includes processing undertaken to meet statutory obligations and to identify, monitor, review, promote, or maintain equality of opportunity and equal treatment between different groups of people. This processing is carried out in accordance with Schedule 1, Part 2, paragraphs 6 and 8 of the Data Protection Act 2018 and is subject to appropriate safeguards to protect individuals' rights and freedoms.
We only use what we need
We only collect and use personal information to the extent that we need it to carry out our statutory consultation duties, including complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty, and to help us make better decisions about how we deliver public services in Newcastle.
Who receives your personal data
Your personal data will be received by the council staff who are running the consultation, and who are responsible for maintaining Let's talk Newcastle Online. We do not sell your personal information to anyone else. We sometimes work with other organisations, such as the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, to run consultations, and this will involve sharing anonymised data (consultation responses that do not have people's names or similarly identifiable personal information in, so that individual people cannot be identified). If so, we will state this at the start of our consultations so that you know that we will do this.
What you can do with your information
The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by Newcastle City Council, and how we use it
You can ask for access to the information we hold on you
We would normally expect to share what we record about you with you whenever we assess your needs or provide you with services. However, you also have the right to ask us to disclose to you all of the information held about you. When we receive a request from you in writing, we must give you access to everything you are legally entitled to see that we have recorded about you.
We cannot let you see any parts of your record which contain:
We only collect and use personal information to the extent that we need it to carry out our statutory consultation duties, including complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty, and to help us make better decisions about how we deliver public services in Newcastle.
Who receives your personal data
Your personal data will be received by the council staff who are running the consultation, and who are responsible for maintaining Let's talk Newcastle Online. We do not sell your personal information to anyone else. We sometimes work with other organisations, such as the North East Mayoral Combined Authority, to run consultations, and this will involve sharing anonymised data (consultation responses that do not have people's names or similarly identifiable personal information in, so that individual people cannot be identified). If so, we will state this at the start of our consultations so that you know that we will do this.
What you can do with your information
The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by Newcastle City Council, and how we use it
You can ask for access to the information we hold on you
We would normally expect to share what we record about you with you whenever we assess your needs or provide you with services. However, you also have the right to ask us to disclose to you all of the information held about you. When we receive a request from you in writing, we must give you access to everything you are legally entitled to see that we have recorded about you.
We cannot let you see any parts of your record which contain:
- Confidential information about other people; or
- Data that a professional thinks will cause serious harm to your or someone else’s physical or mental wellbeing; or
- If we think that giving you the information may stop us from preventing or detecting a crime
This applies to personal information that is in both paper and electronic records. If you give us permission, we will also let others see your record (except if one of the points above applies). If you cannot ask for your records in writing, we will make sure there are other ways that you can. If you have any queries about access to your information please contact us at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk or call: 0191 278 7878.
You can ask to change information you think is inaccurate
You should let us know if you disagree with something we have recorded about you. We will correct factual inaccuracies; we may not always be able to change or remove certain information we hold about you, but we may include your comments in the record to show that you disagree with it. As above, if you are a registered member of Let's talk Newcastle Online, you can update your personal information by logging in and updating your details. If you have any general queries about the accuracy of your data, please contact us at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk.
You should let us know if you disagree with something we have recorded about you. We will correct factual inaccuracies; we may not always be able to change or remove certain information we hold about you, but we may include your comments in the record to show that you disagree with it. As above, if you are a registered member of Let's talk Newcastle Online, you can update your personal information by logging in and updating your details. If you have any general queries about the accuracy of your data, please contact us at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk.
You can ask to delete information (right to be forgotten)
In some circumstances you can ask for your personal information to be deleted, for example:
In some circumstances you can ask for your personal information to be deleted, for example:
- Where your personal information is no longer needed for the purpose it was collected in the first place
- Where you have withdrawn your consent for us to use your information (where there is no other legal reason for us to continue to use it)
- Where there is no legal reason for the use of your information
- Where deleting the information is a legal requirement
- Where your personal information has been shared with others, we will instruct those using your personal information to comply with your request for erasure.
As above, if you are a registered member of Let's talk Newcastle Online, you can update your personal information by logging in and updating your details. You can also delete your entire account using the 'Delete Account' button, if you wish to do this.
Please note that we cannot delete your information where:
- We are required to use it by law
- it is used for freedom of expression
- it is used for public health purposes
- it is for, scientific or historical research, or statistical purposes where it would make information unusable
- it is necessary for legal claims
You can ask to limit what we use your personal data for
You have the right to ask us to restrict what we use your personal information for; where:
You have the right to ask us to restrict what we use your personal information for; where:
- you have identified inaccurate information, and have told us about this
- where we have no legal reason to use that information, but you want us to restrict what we use it for, rather than erase the information altogether.
When information has been restricted, it can only be used to; ensure secure storage, to handle legal claims and protect others with your consent, or where it is for important public interests of the UK. You have the right to ask us to stop using your personal information for any council service. However, if this request is approved, this may cause delays or prevent us delivering that service. Where possible, we will seek to comply with your request, but we may need to hold or use information because we are required to by law.
You can ask to have your information moved to another provider (data portability)
You have the right to ask for your personal information to be given back to you or another service provider of your choice in a commonly-used format. This is called data portability. However, this only applies if we are using your personal information with consent (not if we are required to by law) and if decisions were made by a computer and not a human being. It is likely that data portability will not apply to most of the services you receive from the council.
You can ask to have any computer-made decisions explained to you, and details of how we may have ‘risk profiled’ you. You have the right to question decisions made about you by a computer, unless it’s required for any contract you have entered into, required by law, or you have given your consent.
You also have the right to object if you are being ‘profiled’. Profiling is where decisions are made about you based on certain things in your personal information, e.g. your health conditions. If and when Newcastle City Council uses your personal information to profile you, in order to deliver the most appropriate service to you, you will be informed.
If you have concerns regarding automated decision-making, or profiling, please contact the Data Protection Officer who will be able to advise you about how we are using your information by emailing: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk
You have the right to ask for your personal information to be given back to you or another service provider of your choice in a commonly-used format. This is called data portability. However, this only applies if we are using your personal information with consent (not if we are required to by law) and if decisions were made by a computer and not a human being. It is likely that data portability will not apply to most of the services you receive from the council.
You can ask to have any computer-made decisions explained to you, and details of how we may have ‘risk profiled’ you. You have the right to question decisions made about you by a computer, unless it’s required for any contract you have entered into, required by law, or you have given your consent.
You also have the right to object if you are being ‘profiled’. Profiling is where decisions are made about you based on certain things in your personal information, e.g. your health conditions. If and when Newcastle City Council uses your personal information to profile you, in order to deliver the most appropriate service to you, you will be informed.
If you have concerns regarding automated decision-making, or profiling, please contact the Data Protection Officer who will be able to advise you about how we are using your information by emailing: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk
Who do we share your information with?
Sometimes, we have a legal duty to provide personal information to other organisations. This is often because we need to give that data to courts, for example:
Sometimes, we have a legal duty to provide personal information to other organisations. This is often because we need to give that data to courts, for example:
- if we take a child into care;
- if the court orders that we provide the information; and
- if someone is taken into care under mental health law
Where we have these arrangements, there is always an agreement in in place to make sure that the organisation complies with data protection law. We will often complete a privacy impact assessment (PIA) before we share personal information to make sure we protect your privacy and comply with the law.
We may also share your personal information when we feel there is a good reason that is more important than protecting your privacy. This does not happen often, but we may share your information:
- in order to find and stop crime and fraud
- if there are serious risks to the public, our staff or to other professionals
- to protect a child
- to protect adults who are thought to be at risk, for example if they are frail, confused or cannot understand what is happening to them
For all of these reasons, the risk must be serious before we can override your right to privacy.
If we are worried about your physical safety or feel we need to take action to protect you from being harmed in other ways, we will discuss this with you and, if possible, get your permission to tell others about your situation before doing so. We may still share your information if we believe the risk to others is serious enough to do so.
There may also be rare occasions when the risk to others is so great that we need to share information straight away. If this is the case, we will make sure that we record what information we share and our reasons for doing so. We will let you know what we have done and why if we think it is safe to do so.
If we are worried about your physical safety or feel we need to take action to protect you from being harmed in other ways, we will discuss this with you and, if possible, get your permission to tell others about your situation before doing so. We may still share your information if we believe the risk to others is serious enough to do so.
There may also be rare occasions when the risk to others is so great that we need to share information straight away. If this is the case, we will make sure that we record what information we share and our reasons for doing so. We will let you know what we have done and why if we think it is safe to do so.
How do we protect your information?
We will do what we can to make sure we hold records about you (on paper and electronically) in a secure way, and will only make them available to those who have a right to see them. Examples of our security include:
We will do what we can to make sure we hold records about you (on paper and electronically) in a secure way, and will only make them available to those who have a right to see them. Examples of our security include:
- Encryption, meaning that information is hidden so that it cannot be read without special knowledge (such as a password). This is done with a secret code or what’s called a ‘cypher’. The hidden information is said to then be ‘encrypted’
- Pseudonymisation, meaning that we will use a different name so we can hide parts of your personal information from view. This means that someone outside of the Council could work on your information for us without ever knowing it was yours
- Controlling access to systems and networks allows us to stop people who are not allowed to view your personal information from getting access to it
- Training for our staff allows us to make them aware of how to handle information, and how and when to report it when something goes wrong
- Regular testing of our technology and ways of working, including keeping up-to-date on the latest security updates (commonly called 'patches').
Where in the world is your information?
The majority of personal information is stored on systems in the UK but there are some occasions where your information may leave the UK either in order to get to another organisation or if it is stored in a system outside of the EU. We have additional protections on your information if it leaves the UK ranging from secure ways of transferring data to ensuring we have a robust contract in place with that third party.
We’ll take all practical steps to make sure your personal information is not sent to a country that is not seen as ‘safe’ either by the UK or EU Governments. If we need to send your information to an ‘unsafe’ location, we’ll always seek advice from the Information Commissioner first.
The majority of personal information is stored on systems in the UK but there are some occasions where your information may leave the UK either in order to get to another organisation or if it is stored in a system outside of the EU. We have additional protections on your information if it leaves the UK ranging from secure ways of transferring data to ensuring we have a robust contract in place with that third party.
We’ll take all practical steps to make sure your personal information is not sent to a country that is not seen as ‘safe’ either by the UK or EU Governments. If we need to send your information to an ‘unsafe’ location, we’ll always seek advice from the Information Commissioner first.
How long do we keep your personal information?
There is often a legal reason for keeping your personal information for a set period of time, we try to include all of these in our retention schedule.
For each service, the schedule lists how long your information may be kept for. This ranges from months for some records to decades for more sensitive records.
There is often a legal reason for keeping your personal information for a set period of time, we try to include all of these in our retention schedule.
For each service, the schedule lists how long your information may be kept for. This ranges from months for some records to decades for more sensitive records.
Cookies and how you use our website
To make our website easier to use, we sometimes place small text files on your device (for example your iPad or laptop) called cookies. Most big websites do this too.
They improve things by:
To make our website easier to use, we sometimes place small text files on your device (for example your iPad or laptop) called cookies. Most big websites do this too.
They improve things by:
- remembering the things you have chosen while on our website, so you don’t have to keep re-entering them whenever you visit a new page
- remembering data you have given (for example, your address) so you don’t need to keep entering it
- measuring how you use the website so we can make sure it meets your needs
By using our website, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device. We do not use cookies on this website that collect information about what other websites you visit (often referred to as privacy intrusive cookies).
Our cookies are not used to identify you personally. They are just here to make the site work better for you. You can manage and/or delete these files as you wish.
To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit AboutCookies.org or watch a video about cookies.
Our cookies are not used to identify you personally. They are just here to make the site work better for you. You can manage and/or delete these files as you wish.
To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit AboutCookies.org or watch a video about cookies.
How you use this website (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to make sure it is meeting peoples’ needs and to understand how we can make the website work better. Google Analytics stores information about what pages on this site you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on while you are here. You can find out more about it here: Google Analytics
We do not collect or store any other personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this data cannot be used to identify who you are. However, the information generated by the cookie about your use of the website, including your IP address, may be transmitted to and stored by Google.
We also collect data on the number of times a word is searched for and the number of failed searches. We use this information to improve access to the site and identify gaps in the content and see if it is something we should add to the site.
Unless the law allows us to, we do not:
We use Google Analytics to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to make sure it is meeting peoples’ needs and to understand how we can make the website work better. Google Analytics stores information about what pages on this site you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on while you are here. You can find out more about it here: Google Analytics
We do not collect or store any other personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this data cannot be used to identify who you are. However, the information generated by the cookie about your use of the website, including your IP address, may be transmitted to and stored by Google.
We also collect data on the number of times a word is searched for and the number of failed searches. We use this information to improve access to the site and identify gaps in the content and see if it is something we should add to the site.
Unless the law allows us to, we do not:
- share any of the data we collect about you with others, or
- use this data to identify individuals
Other people’s cookies
We use videos from YouTube and feeds from other websites such as Facebook and X. These websites place cookies on your device when watching or viewing these pages. Below are links to their cookie policies:
We use videos from YouTube and feeds from other websites such as Facebook and X. These websites place cookies on your device when watching or viewing these pages. Below are links to their cookie policies:
- Google and YouTube
- X (formerly known as Twitter).
Turning off cookies
You can stop cookies being downloaded on to your computer or other device by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. If you do this, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. There is more information about how to delete or stop using cookies here: About Cookies. You can also opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics. Further guidance on the use of personal information can be found here: Information Commissioner’s Office
You can stop cookies being downloaded on to your computer or other device by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. If you do this, you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. There is more information about how to delete or stop using cookies here: About Cookies. You can also opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics. Further guidance on the use of personal information can be found here: Information Commissioner’s Office
Where can I get advice?
If you have any questions about how your personal information is handled, please contact our Data Protection Officer at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk.
For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate), or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number. Alternatively, visit their website: Information Commissioner’s Office, or email at: casework@ico.org.uk
Credit: Web Design By - Indigo - Newcastle
If you have any questions about how your personal information is handled, please contact our Data Protection Officer at: dataprotection@newcastle.gov.uk.
For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at:
Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate), or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number. Alternatively, visit their website: Information Commissioner’s Office, or email at: casework@ico.org.uk
Credit: Web Design By - Indigo - Newcastle
