Member Personal Information privacy notice

We keep this privacy notice under regular review and it was last updated in April 2026.

We respect your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after your personal data and tell you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

This privacy notice explains how we use the personal information of Elected Members in connection with your role. Independent Members (co-optees) are treated as Elected Members for the purposes of carrying out their functions on our behalf and their data is collected and processed under the same terms.

Who we are

We collect, use and are responsible for certain personal information about you. When we do so we are regulated under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are responsible as ‘controller’ of that personal information. Our Data Protection Officer is Benjamin Watts.

The personal information we collect and use

Information collected by us

In the course of processing your Member Personal Information Form we collect personal information when you provide it to us. We will collect:

• name and contact details
• Role within the Council and committee membership
• date of birth
• National Insurance number
• bank account details
• next of Kin contact details
• vehicle details
• Register of Interests – including interest of spouses
• register of Party Transactions
• register of Gifts and Hospitality
• photograph (for publication to the website, and for your security badge)
• video/voice recordings (as part of webcast meetings)
• training records
• DBS checks.

We also collect ‘special category data’ (personal data which is more sensitive and is treated with extra care and protection) when you provide it to us. We collect:

• health data in relation to accessibility requirements
• political party membership.

How we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

• contact you in your role as a Kent County Council Member
• facilitate your attendance at committee meetings, and maintain associated records
• facilitate the payments of allowances and expenses claim
• make sure we support you in your role by addressing accessibility issues
• contact your next of kin in case of an emergency
• allow security teams to deal with emergency situations in our car parks
• provide governance advice for disclosable interests
• publish information online about your allowances and expenses, register of interests, register of party transactions and register of gifts and hospitality
• manage complaints made against you under the Member Code of Conduct
• respond to Freedom of Information or Environmental Information Regulations requests, complaints, or enquiries relating to your role.

Reasons we can collect and use your personal information

When we collect your personal data, we rely on the following legal bases

• Article 6(1)(c) - legal obligation (for example, publication of Register of Interests, allowances).
• Article 6(1)(e) - task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority (for example, publishing councillor details, governance and committee work).

When we collect your ‘special categories of personal data (health information and political party membership), we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Article 9(2)(a) Explicit Consent as the lawful basis on which we process your health information for accessibility purposes. You do not need to provide this information but it may prevent us from meeting any relevant needs you have.
• Article 9(2)(e) Made public by the data subject as the lawful basis for processing your political party membership.

How long your personal data will be kept

We will hold your personal information for:

• 6 years from the date of the next election or if consent is withdrawn, whichever is shorter.

Who we share your personal information with

We will share personal information with HR Connect and Cantium to ensure the appropriate HR and ICT support. Some of your personal information will also be shared with HMRC.

Your personal information will be shared with other public authorities or partner organisations, where you are appointed to represent the Council

We will share the following information on our website:

• your name
• your image
• your KCC email address
• your telephone number (only if you ask us to)
• your allowances, expenses, register of interests, register of gifts and hospitality and related party transactions
• video and voice recordings of your involvement in committee meetings will be published online as part of webcasted meetings.

We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law or in connection with legal proceedings.

We will share personal information with our legal and professional advisers in the event of a dispute, complaint or claim. We rely on Article 9(2)(f) where the processing of special category data is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR you have a number of rights which you can access free of charge which allow you to:

• know what we are doing with your information and why we are doing it
• ask to see what information we hold about you
• ask us to correct any mistakes in the information we hold about you
• object to direct marketing
• make a complaint to the ICO.

Depending on our reason for using your information you may also be entitled to:

• object to how we are using your information
• ask us to delete information we hold about you
• have your information transferred electronically to yourself or to another organisation
• object to decisions being made that significantly affect you
• stop us using your information in certain ways.

We will always seek to comply with your request however we may be required to hold or use your information to comply with legal duties. Your request may delay or prevent us delivering a service to you.

For further information about your rights, including the circumstances in which they apply, see the guidance from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on individuals’ rights under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation.

If you would like to exercise a right, contact the Information Governance Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk .

Your right to withdraw your consent

Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you can withdraw your consent to our use of your data at any time. To withdraw your consent, email data.protection@kent.gov.uk .

Keeping your personal information secure

We have appropriate security measures in place to prevent personal information from being accidentally lost or used or accessed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal information to those who have a genuine business need to know it. Those processing your information will do so only in an authorised manner and are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We also have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach. We will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected data security breach where we are legally required to do so.

Who to contact

Contact the Information Governance Team at data.protection@kent.gov.uk to exercise any of your rights, or if you have a complaint about why your information has been collected, how it has been used or how long we have kept it for.

You can contact our Data Protection Officer, Benjamin Watts, through email or post at:

UK GDPR also gives you right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner who may be contacted via the Information Commissioner's website or call 03031 231113.

For further information read our privacy statement.