The electoral registration officer (ERO) of Lichfield District Council (telephone number 01543 308125) is what is known as the ‘controller’ of your personal data.
Purpose of processing
As an electoral registration officer, we will process your personal data to enable us to assess and determine your application to be included on the electoral register, or to vote by post or proxy. To verify your identity, the data you provide will be processed by the individual electoral registration digital service managed by the Cabinet Office. As part of this process your data will be shared with the Department of Work and Pensions and the Cabinet Office suppliers that are data processors for the individual electoral registration digital service. Find out more.
Legal basis
Our legal basis for processing your ordinary personal data will be either that it is necessary to do so to perform a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the electoral registration officer and returning officer as set out in the following acts and any associated regulations:
- Representation of the People Act 1983
- Representation of the People Regulations 2001
- Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013
- Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000
- Local Government Act 2000
- Electoral Administration Act 2006
- Political Parties and Elections Act 2009
In respect of any special data, i.e. nationality, processing this is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest and is needed to determine which elections an elector is entitled to vote at.
Recipients
We may share some or all of your information (depending on the circumstances and your views) with staff within the elections team and other authorised officers of the council, councillors, election candidates, MPs, political parties, Police and Crime Commissioner, parish councils, HMCTS, DWP, Electoral Commission, British Library, credit reference agencies, the council’s returning officer and any contractors providing election print services, the acting returning officer for the Tamworth constituency in the event of a general election where your address falls within that constituency, members of the public who may personally inspect the full electoral register and to third parties if you are included in the open (edited) register.
Retention
We typically store your information indefinitely.
General
The provision of information by you to us is a legal requirement. If you fail to do so, we may, after a warning(s), prosecute you.
Your rights in brief
If we process your personal data, depending on your circumstances, you may have a right of access to it:
- to correct inaccurate information
- to restrict our processing of it or to have your personal data erased.
Data protection officer
Please email: dpo@lichfielddc.gov.uk
Complaints
Please speak to a member of our elections team in the first instance if you have any concerns about the way we have processed your personal information. However, please note that you do have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner.
COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it may be necessary for us to share information from the Electoral Register, Council Tax, Benefits, Housing and where necessary other departments, where sharing this information could prevent any risk to the health and safety of our residents. It may also be necessary for us to share information from the Electoral Register or other departments where the law requires us to under these special circumstances. This information may be shared internally with other departments, with Staffordshire County Council or any organisation hired to distribute public health messages to the community.