How to ask the council for a copy of your personal information

To access your personal information you will need to fill in a Data Subject Access Request Form [PDF] (34k) which you must return together with the £10 fee and proof of identity. Please make sure you provide enough information to confirm your identity and any other details that you think may help us to find your information.  (For example, you should include your date of birth, name and address, and the name of the departments you dealt with.)  If you have difficulty with the form, our Information Rights Officer will help you to fill it in.  If you would prefer help or support from outside the council, the Citizens’ Advice Bureau may be able to help you.

We will provide a printout of the information from the computer system or a photocopy of your manual file.  If we are providing personal information from Social Services, we will make special arrangements so you can see your records. Depending on the nature of your enquiry, different rules may apply.

If you want to see CCTV images we may hold, we will ask you to provide some quite specific information such as:

• Where the CCTV camera is (the address and position);
• The date and time that the image was taken;
• A recent photograph to help us identify the relevant images;
• A description of the likely activities the CCTV took; and
• Whether you need a hard copy of the images or if a ‘viewing’ would be enough

We will respond to all requests for personal information within 40 days of receiving your correctly filled-in application form.  You must also pay the fee of £10.

What you should do when you receive the information
You should check the details we provide to make sure that you have received all the information that you are entitled to and to make sure it is correct.

If you think there is information on the file that is wrong, you may ask us to change it by writing to the relevant department. We will then consider your request and either amend your details or, if this is not possible, explain the reasons why we cannot make changes.

Information Rights Officer
Guildford Borough Council
Clerk and Solicitor’s Department
Millmead House
Millmead
Guildford
Surrey
GU2 4BB

Tel:  01483 444053
Email: iro@guildford.gov.uk

You can get more information on data protection legislation from:

The Office of the Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Tel: 011625 545745
Web: www.ico.gov.uk (this page opens in a new window)