Privacy Notice for Penalty Charge Notices

Why we are collecting your data

Chelmsford City Council, the lead authority for the South Essex Parking Partnership, is a data controller. This means we need to collect your personal data so we can issue and process Penalty Charge Notices where it is considered a parking contravention has taken place. We will only collect the personal data from you that we need in order to process the Penalty Charge Notice in accordance with the legislation of the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Information collected

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Vehicle registration number
• Vehicle location 
• Information provided in a written challenge or representation

The basis for the processing

We do this as a legal obligation. We will not be able to consider a challenge or a representation against a Penalty Charge Notice without the personal data you provide us with.

Who we share your information with 

The Traffic Management Act 2004 has various case stages where your information will be shared or obtained. Your information will initially be administered by the Council’s Parking Services Team and the information will be held on a secure third-party provided system.

If necessary, the Council will also share your information with:

• the DVLA to obtain registered keeper details
• the Traffic Penalty Tribunal when a case is appealed
• a certificated bailiff company to recover an unpaid debt
• the police to aid in their enquiries
• the Council’s Public Health and Protection Team if a vehicle is considered abandoned

We will never sell your data. However, we may share some of your personal information with third parties to:

• help prevent fraud. We may share your information with credit reference agencies and other companies for use in credit decisions.  Credit agencies may record these searches, but that will not affect your credit standing.
• pursue people or companies who owe us money. We may share your information with debt collection agencies.
• help business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors to deliver any contract we enter with them or you.
• help us if we are need additional professional or legal advice on a matter relating to you.
• to improve and optimise the performance of our websites and social media accounts. Analytics and search engine providers that we use can collect your data when you interact with us online.  However, they will aggregate and anonymise the information, meaning we can’t identify any individual personally.
• work out if a grant we have spent was successful in achieving its aims. This could be funding from a Government or a grant from a local, regional or national organisation such as Sport England and National/Heritage Lottery Fund. However, they will aggregate and anonymise the information, meaning we can’t identify any individual personally.  

Providing accurate information 

We need to hold accurate and up to date information about you so that we can deliver appropriate services. If any of your details change, you need to tell us as soon as possible so that we can update your records.

We will not: 

• use your information for marketing or sales purposes without your prior explicit consent. 
• send or store your data abroad unless it meets the requirements of the Data Protection regulations.
• make decisions about you based on automated processing.    

How long will we hold your data for? 

We keep all records relating to Penalty Charge Notices for five years.

Your rights 

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you.  Any access requests are free of charge.

If the information we hold about you is inaccurate, you have a right to have this corrected and you have the right to request completion of incomplete data.

You have the right to ask us to erase your personal data in certain circumstances (‘right to be forgotten’).

You have the right to ask us to stop or restrict the processing of your personal data, in certain circumstances.  Where possible, we will seek to comply with your request, but we may need to hold or process information to comply with a legal requirement.

You can make any of these requests by:

• Emailing ir@chelmsford.gov.uk
• Or sending a letter to:

Digital Services 
Chelmsford City Council
Civic Centre
Duke Street
Chelmsford
CM1 1JE

If you are dissatisfied with how we have used your personal information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at casework@ico.org.uk

Identity of Data Protection Officer 

Our designated Data Protection Officer is John Breen. 

You can contact him by emailing ir@chelmsford.gov.uk

Contact details 

Chelmsford City Council
Civic Centre
Duke Street
Chelmsford
CM1 1JE

Email: ir@chelmsford.gov.uk 

Telephone: 01245 606606