Privacy Policy for High Knightswood & Anniesland Community Council

Effective Date: 2024-12-09

1. Introduction

High Knightswood & Anniesland Community Council (“HKA,” “HKA.scot”, “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a statutory body established under Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 with responsibilities “to ascertain, co-ordinate and express to the local authorities for its area, and to public authorities, the views of the community which it represents […] and to take such action in the interests of that community as appears to it to be expedient and practicable.” We are committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors and users (“you”). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website (the “Site”) in compliance with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (2003) and explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA).  

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Personal Information: This may include your name, email address, postal address, phone number, and any other information you voluntarily provide to us through forms, surveys, or other interactions on the Site.  
• Usage Data: We collect information about how you use our Site, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, referring website, and timestamps.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our Site and collect information about your browsing activity. See our Cookie Policy below for more details.  

3. How We Use Your Information

We may use your information for the following purposes:

• To fulfil our statutory duties. As a Community Council established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, we are a statutory body with specific duties and responsibilities relating to representing the interests of our community and engaging with local authorities. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Representing the views of the community to the local authority and other public bodies.
  • Taking action in the interests of the community.
  • Promoting the well-being of the community.
  • Consulting with the community on matters of local concern.
• To provide and improve our Site and services. This includes using your information to operate and maintain the Site, personalize your experience, and develop new features and functionalities.
• To communicate with you. This includes responding to your inquiries, providing customer support, and sending you administrative messages.
• To send you marketing communications. With your consent, we may send you newsletters, marketing materials, and other information about our work, services, and events that may be of interest to you. You can opt-out of receiving these communications at any time.
• To analyse Site traffic and usage patterns. We use this information to understand how visitors use our Site, identify trends, and improve its performance.
• To protect against fraud and unauthorized access. We may use your information to detect and prevent fraudulent activity and unauthorized access to our Site.
• To comply with applicable laws and regulations.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:

• Legal obligation: As a statutory body, we may process your information to comply with our legal obligations under Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and general statute
• Public task: We may process your information to perform tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of our official authority as defined by Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
• Consent: We will obtain your consent before collecting and using your personal information for marketing purposes or for any other purpose where consent is required by law.
• Contractual necessity: We may process your information to fulfil our contractual obligations to you, such as providing you with the services you have requested.
• Legitimate interests: We may process your information for our legitimate interests, such as improving our Site and services, preventing fraud, and protecting our legal rights, provided that these interests do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms.

5. Disclosure of Your Information

We may disclose your information to the following third parties:

• Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party service providers who assist us with website hosting, data analysis, email marketing, payment processing, and other essential functions. We have contracts with these providers requiring them to protect your information.  
• Partner Organisations: We may share your information with partner organisations to fulfil our statutory duties or where it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will only share information that is necessary and proportionate for these purposes.
• Legal Authorities: We may disclose your information to legal authorities if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, or protect the personal safety of users or the public.  

6. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include:  

• Data encryption: We use encryption technologies to protect your information during transmission and storage.
• Access controls: We restrict access to your information to authorized personnel only.
• Security assessments: We regularly assess our security measures to ensure their effectiveness.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.  

7. Your Privacy Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

• Right of access: You have the right to request access to your personal information that we hold.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.  
• Right to erasure: You have the right to request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances, such as when it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.  
• Right to restriction of processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, such as when you contest its accuracy.  
• Right to data portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.  
• Right to object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, such as when it is processed for direct marketing purposes.  

You can exercise your privacy rights by contacting us using the contact details provided below.

8. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. We have a data retention policy that sets out specific retention periods for different types of information.  

9. International Data Transfers

If we transfer your personal information outside of the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your information is protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR. This may include using standard contractual clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or relying on other appropriate safeguards.

10. Cookie Policy
11. a) What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to the website owners.  

1. b) Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies: These cookies are necessary for the Site to function properly and enable you to navigate the Site and use its features.
• Performance cookies: These cookies collect information about how you use the Site, such as which pages you visit most often and if you receive any error messages. They help us to improve the performance of the Site.  
• Functionality cookies: These cookies allow the Site to remember choices you make (such as your language preference) and provide enhanced features.  
• Targeting/advertising cookies: These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests. They may also be used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement and to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.  

1. c) Managing cookies:

You can control the use of cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies, but this may affect your ability to use certain features of the Site.  

11. Data Protection Officer (DPO)

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO) to oversee our compliance with data protection laws. You can contact our DPO at:

Name: Ellen Wright Email: hello@hka.scot Postal Address: High Knightswood & Anniesland Community Council, c/o Glasgow City Council, 40 John Street, Glasgow G1 1JL

12. Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

The ICO is the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. If you have any concerns about our data processing activities, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the ICO. You can find more information about the ICO on their website: https://ico.org.uk/  

13. Terms and Conditions of Use

Please refer to our separate Terms and Conditions of Use for details on the terms governing your use of the Site.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on this page and encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.  

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

https://HKA.scot

Email: hello@hka.scot

Postal Address: High Knightswood & Anniesland Community Council, c/o Glasgow City Council, 40 John Street, Glasgow G1 1JL