The Environment and Waste Service forms part of Milton Keynes Council.  This Privacy Notice sets out how we deal with your personal information within this Service.  It links in with the Council’s Corporate Privacy Notice so therefore should be read alongside it.  For more details about our Corporate Privacy Notice, please visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/privacy.

Who we are and what we do

The Environment and Waste Service is part of the wider Public Realm Services Group which also includes Highways, Transport, Regulation and Licencing services. The Environment and Waste Service provide a number of different and diverse services from waste collection and disposal, street cleaning, grounds maintenance and burial services to managing and maintaining rights of way. The service also includes strategic flood and water services, environmental enforcement, safer communities and the management of country parks (namely Emberton Country Park and the Blue Lagoon).

Everything we do with information about people, such as how we collect it and who we share it with, has to comply with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force in May 2018.  A key part of this is being open about what personal information we hold about you, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it for, etc.  You also need to know what rights you have in this respect.

What information do we hold

Most of the information we hold starts as a result of:

• An individual directly contacting us wanting to use one of our services.
• Another organisation, such as an NHS body, making a referral to us, generally on the individual’s behalf and with their knowledge (e.g. Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust acting as the “Data Controller”).
• Information provided to us by an individual, other public body e.g. the Police or Parish Council, elected member of the council, through central customer relations management system or directly e.g. through email or telephone.

We also sometimes hold some information about individuals that other organisations are required to provide to us. This may include organisations like the police/NHS, etc.  They will have their own Privacy Notices that explain what information they collect and who they share it with.

Personal information that we might hold within the Environment and Waste Service includes the likes of name, address, phone number, email address, photographic images, insurance details, lease / licence & land ownership details, vehicle registrations, health and safety information (in relation to public events), any personal information contained within waste materials, information related to neighbour disputes, and credit check information (criminal investigations). 

We might also hold sensitive personal data (referred to as Special Categories of data under GDPR) including ethnicity, disabilities, medical conditions, etc. This sensitive information is either directly volunteered to us, provided by a third party, comes to light through investigations or becomes apparent due to the services being requested (e.g. clinical waste collection).

Why do we have it and what do we use it for

We have a legal / statutory requirement to provide Environment and Waste Services and to deliver these we need to collect and use personal information of those using or affected by these services. The legislative basis for undertaking many of the services we provided can be found in the following acts of parliament and regulations.

• Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003
• Anti-social Behaviour, Crime & Policing Act 2014
• Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005
• Commons Act 2006
• Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017
• Control of Pollution Act 1974
• Controlled Waste Regulations 2012
• Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
• Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
• Environment Act 1995
• Environmental Information Regulations 2004
• Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010
• Environmental Protection Act 1990
• Flood and Water Management Act 2010
• Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Highways Act 1980
• Land Drainage Act 1991
• Localism Act 2011
• Local Government Act 2000
• Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976
• Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
• Refuse Disposal (amenity) Act 1978
• Town and Country Planning Act 1990
• EU Water Framework Directive 2001
• Water Industry Act 1991
• Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

If you access our services then the requirement mentioned above will be our lawful basis for collecting and using your personal data, as we cannot provide you with the service without it.

In a small number of cases we will process personal data solely on the basis of consent, such as where you might opt in to receive email updates or marketing details about certain council services. This will be clearly explained when you sign-up to that service.

The Environment and Waste Service may also use your information for the purpose of performing any of its statutory enforcement duties.  It will make any disclosures required by law and may also share your information with other bodies responsible for enforcement or detecting/preventing crime including fraud or auditing/administering public funds.  We do not disclose your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

All of the personal information we hold is kept securely on our Council servers / held within the UK/EU. There is also no automatic decision-taking when your personal information is processed.

Who we share information with and why

We share information with a range of different types of people and organisations depending on the service being provided or the statutory requirement that we have to comply with.  The types of recipients include:

• Service users (and families where relevant)
• Local government organisations
• Central government departments
• Our contractors: organisations that we commission to provide goods and services
• Law enforcement agencies, such as Thames Valley Police
• Health and social care organisations and professionals (NHS bodies such as GPs, Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group, Milton Keynes University Hospital)
• Regulatory bodies, investigators and ombudsman (for example Ofsted, CQC, Local Govt Ombudsman)
• Courts, tribunals and prisons
• Legal representatives
• Fraud prevention agencies
• Debt collection agencies
• Current, past and prospective employers
• Trade unions
• Press and the media
• Councillors and political parties
• Housing associations and landlords
• Survey and research organisations

We share information with contractors who provide services (statutory and public duty) on behalf of the Council.  In most cases, the Council remains the Data Controller but the third party organisation will act as a data Processor. The service providers are bound by contractual obligations in relation to data protection and information governance and may only use the information as directed by the Council in providing the services or as otherwise required through law.

How long we keep hold of information for

We only keep information for as long as it is needed. This will differ according to what information we hold and its purpose. It will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we have to keep information for a specific period of time) or accepted business practice. Within our Service, we keep the information for the following periods:

• Whilst being processed (e.g. bookings)
• Whilst valid (e.g. security pass)
• Length of a lease / licence (e.g. holiday home licence)
• Length of asset being in place (e.g. high hedges)
• 7 years if a business need exists (e.g. investigations, enforcement notices, correspondence)
• Indefinitely for historic / archiving requirements (e.g. mapping or land ownership)
• Until a third party or customer requests cessation of a service (e.g. clinical waste collection)
• Unknown (personal information contained within waste materials)

What rights you have

You have various rights around the data we hold about you. More information on these can be found on our Corporate Privacy Notice at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/privacy

If you would like any further information about how your personal information is used within the Environment & Waste Service, then please contact:

E-mail: envservices@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Telephone: 01908 252570

Write to: Environment and Waste, Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3EJ

If you wish to access a copy of your personal information, or are unhappy with any aspect of how your information has been collected and/or used, you can make a complaint to the corporate Data Protection Officer.

Data Protection Officer Contact Details

Email: data.protection@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Telephone: 01908 254900

Write to: Data Protection, Milton Keynes Council, 1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3HS