Applying for your data or making requests regarding your data (see your GDPR rights), is called a Subject Access / GDPR Rights Request. To do this you must:
- Apply using our online form (or in writing) or make a verbal request to your social worker/officer
- Give your full name and address
- Provide proof of your identity, which must include a photograph:
- Current passport or drivers licence or other photo ID (if you have any problems with this, we will do whatever we can to help)
- Utility bill or bank statement (from the last 3 months) or Council Tax bill (for the current year)
- Provide any other information you have that may help us to identify which departments might hold your information, including the name of any officers you may be currently liaising with.
If you're adopted and would like information about your adoption and your birth family, you will need to contact Together for Adoption (external link) on 01942 487272.
How do I provide proof of identity?
You can either:
- Visit Wigan Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan, WN1 1YN or Leigh Life Centre and show us the original documents (our preferred method)
- Email a copy to subjectaccess@wigan.gov.uk
- Post a copy to: Subject Access / GDPR Rights Request, Information Governance, Legal services, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan, WN1 1YN.
Make a request
Once we have received your request and proof of identity, we will pass it to the relevant council department to find out what information you may be entitled to.
We will send you a response within one month of receiving your request. However, this will depend on the information provided and the complexity of the request, which may extend the response period by a further 2 months.
Acting on behalf of someone else (the data subject)
If you are acting on behalf of someone else (the data subject) you will need to provide:
- Parent/guardian - Two forms of identification as above
- Legal representative - Explicit written authority and confirmation you have checked and verified the identity of your client
- Lasting Power of Attorney - Two forms of identification as above
- Any other - Explicit written authority and two forms of identification as above.
Your GDPR rights
Under the GDPR, you have the right to request:
- Confirmation that your data is being processed - see our privacy notices
- Access to your personal data:
- Rectification or erasure of data
- Restriction of data processing
Find out more about GDPR and what it is.
What about requests for large amounts of personal data?
Where we process a large amount of information about you, the GDPR allows us to ask you what information the request relates to.
Where requests are unfounded or excessive, in particular because they are repetitive, we can:
- Charge a reasonable fee taking into account the administrative costs of providing the information
- Refuse to respond.
When we refuse to respond to a request, we must explain to you why this is the case, informing you of your right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office and to a judicial remedy without undue delay and at the latest within one month.
Request CCTV footage
Disclosure to the general public
The showing of recorded data to the public will only be permitted in accordance with the CCTV Code of Practice and the provision of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016.
It is recommended that a written application in an approved format, clearly showing the reason(s) for the request, is used otherwise delay in responding may be encountered if insufficient information is provided.