Public Questions Privacy Notice

Contact details

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
Democratic Services Department
The Braid
1-29 Bridge Street
Ballymena
Co. Antrim
BT43 5EJ

T: 0300 124 5000

E: democratic.services@midandeastantrim.gov.uk or enquiries@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

What Information We Collect

• Your name
• Your telephone number
• Your IP address, e mail address and postal address
• Your question content and any supporting information you choose to provide
• Your voice/audio if you attend a Council meeting to read out your question, your name may also be read aloud where you submit a hard copy 

Please do not include sensitive personal data (e.g. health, racial/ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs) in your question.

If you choose to include any, we may redact it before publication or decline to read it to protect your privacy and comply with legal obligations.

Please note that if you attend a meeting in person to read out your question, live video image and audio of you will be streamed as part of the overall public online streaming of Council meetings.

Why We Collect Your Information

All of your personal information we process is obtained directly from you via:

• Hard copy e.g. when you submit your questions via forms/letters
• Electronically, e.g. when you submit your questions via email/online forms
• In-person attendance, e.g. captured by audio/video recordings if you choose to read out your question when attending an online or in-person meeting

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• to accept, schedule and manage public questions in preparation for meetings
• to facilitate your attendance at a Council or Committee meeting
• to notify you about arrangements for your attendance
• to answer any of your questions in relation to the meeting
• to livestream or publish details of the meeting on Council's website; when you participate this could include your name, alongside your accepted question, and a response to your question following the meeting.
• to archive the meetings audio recordings, or to produce minutes.

Under the UK GDPR, the lawful basis we rely on is

• Article 6(1)(e): Public task - We process your data as part of Council’s official duties and in the public interest.
• Article 6(1)(c): Legal obligation - We process your data to meet statutory requirements, in accordance with the following legislation and governance:
  • The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014
  • The Local Government (Standing Orders) Regulations (NI) 2016
  • Mid and East Antrim Borough Council Standing Orders

Council will not use your personal data for automated decision-making, profiling, or for any other purposes.

How We Store Your Personal Information

Your personal data will be stored securely on Council’s IT systems and/or securely on Council premises.

Audio and video recordings of meetings are published on the Council’s website for a limited time and stored on secure servers.

We will manage your personal data in line with our Records Management Policy.

Access to these recordings is strictly controlled and limited to authorised staff within Council and our service provider, Public-I.

Sharing your Information

• We will share your information with relevant internal Council departments (e.g. ICT and Communications) to facilitate your attendance at a meeting, to assist with publishing the audio recording of the public session you have attended, and to display your name, your question and any responses.
• We will share your information with our approved external supplier Public-I to record, publish and store the meeting’s audio recordings.
• Where sharing is necessary, Council will have data sharing agreements in place with relevant third parties to ensure compliance with data protection obligations.
• We will not disclose your personal information to any other organisation unless required by law.
• Council do not transfer your personal data outside the EU.

Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access - You can request copies of the personal information we hold about you (known as a Subject Access Request or SAR). To make a SAR, please contact us at dpo@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.
• Right to Rectification - You can ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.
• Right to Erasure - You can request that we delete your personal information.
• Right to Restrict Processing - You can ask us to limit how we use your personal information
• Right to Object - You can object to the processing of your personal information.
• Right to Data Portability - You can request that we transfer the personal information you provided to another organisation or to you.
• Right to Withdraw Consent - Where we rely on your consent to process your data, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

These rights may be subject to certain limitations and exceptions.

You can find more information about your rights and how to exercise them via Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

If you make a request, we will respond within one month.

You do not have to pay a fee to exercise your rights.

How to Contact Us

If you have any concerns about how we use your personal information, or if you wish to make a complaint, please contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO):

• Email: dpo@midandeastantrim.gov.uk
• Postal address: 
  Data Protection Officer
  Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
  The Braid
  1 – 29 Bridge Street
  Co. Antrim
  BT43 5EJ

Any complaints regarding the processing of your personal data will be managed in accordance with Council’s Complaints Policy.

You also have the right to complain directly to the ICO: 

• Website: Information Commissioner's Office

• Telephone: 0303 123 1113

• Postal address:
  Information Commissioner’s Office
  Wycliffe House
  Water Lane
  Wilmslow
  Cheshire
  SK9 5AF