Legal Services

What this Privacy Notice covers

Adur & Worthing Councils ('the Council') are the data controllers (referred to as 'we' or 'us') of your personal data for the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation.

To exercise your rights under the GDPR Adur and Worthing Council's Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:

Adur & Worthing Councils
Worthing Town Hall,
Chapel Road,
Worthing,
West Sussex,
BN11 1HA
Email: data.protection@adur-worthing.gov.uk

In relation to your personal data we are committed to collecting, using and protecting it appropriately. This privacy notice explains:

How and why we collect and use your personal data
The type of personal data that we collect
Explains when and why we will share personal data and with other organizations
The rights and choices you have in relation to the personal data that we hold about you

Your rights

As the data subject you have the following rights under GDPR:

The right to be informed
The right of access to your personal data
The right of rectification (to have any inaccuracies corrected)
The right of erasure (to have your records deleted)
The right to restrict processing
The right to data portability
The right to object
Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling

Further information about your rights is available on the website of the Information Commissioner's Office. If you have a concern about the way that we are collecting or using your personal data, we ask that you contact us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office.

How long the information is kept for

Your personal data will not be kept longer than necessary and in accordance with Adur & Worthing Council's disposal schedule.

Why we need your personal data

The purposes for processing your personal data are to exercise and fulfil the legal obligations and rights of the Council and of any other local authorities who instruct us, and this includes bringing or defending any legal claims or actions for the Council or the local authority instructing us.

What information we collect

We may process the following types of personal information when carrying out the types of work listed below. This is a non-exhaustive list which is reflective of the varied nature of the personal information processed as part of the legal services team of a local authority.

Contracts & Procurement:

Your full name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers).

Conveyancing:

Your full name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers), financial details (eg details of mortgage accounts) and date of birth.

Debt Recovery:

Your full name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers), financial details (eg details of accounts, details of income), gender, medical evidence (eg physical disability, mental capacity), date of birth and marital status.

Homelessness:

Your full name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers), financial details (eg details of accounts, details of income), gender, medical evidence (eg physical disability, mental capacity), date of birth and marital status and dependent details (eg dates of birth, names).

Licensing:

Your full name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers) and details of any previous convictions.

Litigation:

Your full name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers), gender, medical evidence (eg physical disability, mental capacity), date of birth, marital status and dependent details (eg dates of birth, names).

Planning:

Full Name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers), medical evidence (eg physical disability, mental capacity) and date of birth.

Prosecutions:

Full Name and personal details including contact information (eg home address, email address, home and mobile telephone numbers), financial details (eg details of accounts, details of income), national insurance number, medical evidence (eg physical disability, mental capacity), gender, date of birth, marital status and details of any previous convictions.

How we will use your information

We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use your personal data in the below circumstances:

Contracts & Procurement:

The processing is necessary for a contract we have with you, or because you have asked the Council to take specific steps before entering into a contract with us.
The processing is necessary to enforce our legal rights, or to protect the rights of third parties it is in ours or a third party's legitimate interests to do so.

Conveyancing:

The processing is necessary for a contract we have with you, or because you have asked the Council to take specific steps before entering into a contract with us.
Where the processing is not taking place by virtue of a contract, it is our legal obligation to use your personal information to comply with any legal obligations imposed upon us.
Where the processing is necessary to enforce our legal rights, or to protect the rights of third parties, it is in ours or a third party's legitimate interests to do so.

Debt Recovery:

It is our legal obligation to use your personal information to comply with any legal obligations imposed upon us.
Where the processing is necessary to enforce our legal rights, or to protect the rights of third parties, it is in ours or a third party's legitimate interest to do so.

Homelessness:

It is our legal obligation to use your personal information to comply with any legal obligations imposed upon us.
The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions as a local authority, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

Licensing:

It is our legal obligation to use your personal information to comply with any legal obligations imposed upon us.
The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions as a local authority, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

Litigation:

It is our legal obligation to use your personal information to comply with any legal obligations imposed upon us.
Where it is necessary to enforce our legal rights, or to protect the rights of third parties, it is in ours or a third party's legitimate interest to do so.

Planning:

The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions as a local authority, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

Prosecutions:

The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions as a local authority, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

Special Category Data:

We will not process any of your special category data unless we have your explicit consent or it is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Who we share your information with

We may share your personal information with internal departments of the Council or another local authority instructing us. We may also share personal information with the below listed third parties as necessary. This list is not exhaustive and there may be other third parties that we need to share your personal information with in order to fulfil the legal obligations and rights of the Council and any other local authority who instruct us.

Our professional advisors such as lawyers
Professional indemnity or other relevant insurers
Governmental or regulatory authorities
County Councils, local authorities, parish councils and neighbourhood groups
Police and other enforcement agencies
Medical services such as GPs and hospitals
The Land Registry
Social Services
Third parties engaged in the course of the legal services we provide including counsel, arbitrators, mediators, clerks, witnesses, court, experts, opposing parties and their lawyers

We may share your personal information with the above third parties for the below reasons. This list is not exhaustive which is reflective of the varied nature of the personal information processed as part of the legal services team of a local authority.

Meet any applicable law, regulation, court order, legal process or enforceable governmental request
For the prevention, detection and investigation of crime/fraudulent activity
If there are serious risks to the public, our staff or to other professionals
To protect a child or to protect adults who are thought to be at risk
When you exercise your rights under data protection law and make requests

Your personal data may be converted ('anonymized') into statistical or aggregated data in such a way that ensures that you cannot be identified from it. Aggregated data can't, by definition, be linked back to you as an individual and may be used to conduct research and analysis, including the preparation of statistics for use in reports.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about how we collect, store, or use your personal data please