Your rights
The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how it is used by us.
You have the right to be informed
This is the information given to you in this privacy notice.
You have the right to access the information we hold on you
We would normally inform you of what personal information we collect whenever we assess your needs and prior to providing you with services.
You also have the right to ask for all the information we have about you and the services you receive from us. When we receive a request from you in writing, we must give you access to everything we’ve recorded about you.
However, we can’t let you see any parts of your record which contain:
- confidential information about other people
- data a professional thinks will cause serious harm to your or someone else’s physical or mental wellbeing
- information that we think may stop us from preventing or detecting a crime if we give it to you.
This applies to personal information that is in both paper and electronic records.
If you ask us, we’ll also let others see your record, except if one of the points above applies.
If you can’t ask for your records in writing, we’ll make sure there are other ways that you can.
If you have any queries about access to your information please email dataprotection@lambeth.gov.uk or call us on 020 7926 9694.
You have the right to ask us to change information we hold about you that you think is inaccurate
You should let us know if you disagree with something written on your file.
We may not always be able to change or remove that information but we’ll correct factual inaccuracies and may include your comments in the record to show that you disagree with it.
You have the right to ask for your personal information to be erased in some circumstances (right to be forgotten).
In certain instances, you can ask for your personal information to be deleted, for example where:
- your personal information is no longer needed for the reason why it was collected in the first place
- you have removed your consent for us to use your information - where there is no other legal reason us to use it
- there is no legal reason for the use of your information
- deleting the information is a legal requirement
- your personal information has been shared with others, we’ll do what we can to make sure those using your personal information comply with your request for erasure.
Please note that we can’t delete your information where:
- we’re required to have it by law
- it's used for freedom of expression
- it's used for public health purposes
- it's for, scientific or historical research, or statistical purposes where it would make information unusable
- it's necessary for legal claims.
You have the right to ask us 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 identified inaccurate information, and have told us of it
- 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 is restricted it can’t be used other than to securely store the data and with your consent to handle legal claims and protect others, or where it’s for important public interests of the UK.
Where restriction of use has been granted, we’ll inform you before we carry on using your personal information.
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.
This only applies if we’re using your personal information with consent (not if we’re required to by law) and if decisions were made by a computer and not a human being.
It’s likely that data portability won’t apply to most of the services you receive from us.
You have the right to object to our use of 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’ll seek to comply with your request, but we may need to hold or use information because we are required to by law.
You have the right to question automated and profiling decisions about you, unless required for any contract you have entered into, required by law, or you’ve consented to it.
You have the right to know if your personal information is used in an automated process which could result in an unfavourable decision against you.
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, for example your health conditions.
If and when we use your personal information to profile you, to deliver the most appropriate service to you, you will be informed.
If any of the personal information we take from you is used in the processes above we will tell you at the time it is taken.
If you have concerns regarding automated decision making, or profiling, please contact the Data Protection Officer who’ll be able to advise you about how we are using your information.
Complaints
If you wish to make a complaint about our information rights practices, contact our Data Protection Officer.
We will respond to any information rights concerns we receive, clarifying how we have processed your personal information in a specific case and explaining how we will put right anything that's gone wrong.
If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your complaint, you may report your concern to the Information Commissioners Office.