Who we are
Granborough Parish Council is the data controller for personal information processed through this website and the Councillor Portal. The public website provides council and village information without requiring visitors to register or sign in. The separate Portal supports parish councillors and other authorised users in carrying out council business.
Questions about this policy or the way we use personal information can be sent to the Parish Clerk at clerk@granborough.org.
Information we collect
Visitors to the public website
You do not need to create an account or provide your name, email address or other contact details simply to browse the public website. Most visitors therefore do not actively provide us with personal information.
Like most websites, our hosting and security systems may automatically process limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser or device information, the page requested, and the date and time of the request. We use this only to deliver and secure the website, diagnose faults and prevent misuse. We do not use it to build advertising profiles or identify ordinary visitors.
If you choose to use the contact form, we collect the name, email address and message you submit. We also record your IP address and browser information to verify the request and protect the form against spam and misuse. Your email address is verified before your message is sent to the Parish Clerk.
Councillors and authorised Portal users
If you have an authorised Portal account, we may also process:
- Account and contact details, including your name, council role, email address, postal address, telephone numbers and elector number.
- Council activity, including meeting documents, planning notes, asset-maintenance records, playground inspections, comments and inspection rota information that you create or update.
- Security and technical records, including sign-in attempts, session information, IP address, dates and times of access, and audit records of actions taken in the portal.
- Communications generated through the portal, such as inspection reminders and council notifications.
Please do not enter sensitive or special-category personal information into free-text fields unless it is necessary for council business.
How and why we use your information
We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason to do so.
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Provide the public website and keep it secure and reliable | Legitimate interests in operating a secure public service, and public task where applicable |
| Receive, verify and respond to messages sent through the contact form | Public task and legitimate interests in responding to enquiries and preventing misuse |
| Administer accounts and enable councillors to carry out council work | Public task and exercise of official authority |
| Maintain statutory and council records | Legal obligation and public task |
| Protect accounts, investigate misuse and maintain the security and reliability of the portal | Legitimate interests in operating a secure service, and public task where applicable |
| Send operational reminders and notifications | Public task and legitimate interests in administering council business |
We do not use website or Portal information for advertising, sell personal information, or make decisions about people solely by automated means.
How long we keep information
We keep information only for as long as it is needed for council business, legal obligations, accountability and security. Different council records have different retention periods. Public website technical and security records are kept only for the period needed to operate and protect the service. Unverified contact-form submissions are periodically deleted; verified messages are retained according to the nature of the enquiry and the Council's records requirements. Portal account details are reviewed when a member leaves or no longer requires access, and short-lived session and security records are removed sooner. Backups may retain deleted information for a limited period before they are overwritten.
How we protect it
We use access controls, individual accounts, encrypted connections, password hashing, session time limits, audit records and other technical and organisational safeguards. Access is limited to people who need the information for council business. No online service can guarantee absolute security, so please tell the Parish Clerk promptly if you suspect unauthorised access.
Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- ask for a copy of your personal information;
- have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected;
- ask us to restrict, erase or stop using information in certain circumstances;
- object to processing based on public task or legitimate interests; and
- receive certain information you provided in a portable format where the legal conditions apply.
These rights are not absolute. For example, we may need to retain council records where the law requires it. We will explain our decision when responding to a request. There is normally no charge, and we aim to respond within one month.
Contact and complaints
To ask a question, exercise a right or report a concern, contact the Parish Clerk at clerk@granborough.org.
If you are unhappy with our response, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.
External links and changes
The public website and Portal may link to third-party websites, including planning authority pages. Their own privacy policies apply when you follow those links. We may update this policy when our website, Portal, suppliers or the law changes. The latest version and its update date will always appear on this page.