The Lewisham Council website is maintained for your personal use and viewing. Access and use by you of this site constitutes acceptance by you of these terms and conditions that take effect from the date of first use.
Disclaimer
The Lewisham Council website and material in relation to Council information, products or services (or third party information, products or services), are provided ‘as is’, without any representation or endorsement made and without warranty of any kind whether express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy.
We do not warrant that the functions contained in the material held in this site will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected, or that this site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or represent the full functionality, accuracy, reliability of the materials. In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including, without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damages whatsoever arising from use or loss of use of, data or profits arising out of or in connection with the use of the Lewisham Council website.
Privacy statement
These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute arising under these terms and conditions shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
The Lewisham Council website uses a standard technology called a 'cookie' to collate information on how and how often the site is used. The cookie is stored on your computer, but it does not store any personal information and will not allow us to identify individuals.
We use customized JavaScript tracking code provided by Google and Nielsen Net Ratings to track information about our website visitors' activity. Nielsen Net Ratings also collect feedback from some visitors on their experience of our site.
Intellectual property
The names, images and logos identifying Lewisham Council are proprietary marks of the Council. Copying of our logos and / or any other third party logos accessed via this website is not permitted without the express permission of the relevant copyright owner.
Virus protection
We make every effort to check and test material at all stages of production. It is always wise for you to run an anti-virus program on all material downloaded from the internet. Therefore, we cannot accept responsibility for any loss, disruption or damage for your data or computer system which may occur while using material derived from this website.
The Data Protection Act 1998
What is the Data Protection Act?
The Data Protection Act came about through public concern about personal privacy in the face of rapidly developing computer technology.
The Data Protection Act regulates the processing of information relating to a living individual. This includes obtaining, holding, using or disclosing such information and cover manual filing systems and records as well as computerised ones.
Your rights under the Act
The Act gives you, as an individual, rights on how personal information about you is obtained, processed, stored and disclosed to others. You are entitled to know:
what type of information is being held;
for what purpose the information is being used
who has access to the information and to whom it may be disclosed.
Right of correction or removal
If you believe that personal data held by Lewisham Council is inaccurate or out of date, you have the right to ask for such information to be changed - provided that the Council is satisfied that an error exists.
The Council's Data Protection Policy ('the Policy') is to ensure that we always endeavour to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 ('the Act'). The Council sees data protection compliance as an integral part of our employment and business practices and have taken steps to develop a culture in which respect for private life, data protection, security and confidentiality of personal data is seen as a normal every day practice.
We also endeavour to ensure that we commit the necessary resources to achieve the goals stated in our policy and that all staff are made aware of these goals. We further commit to reviewing our policy annually, to ensure continued compliance with the Act.
The Act gives you or your representative (where appropriate) the right to see most records processed by or on behalf of the Council containing personal information about you. You will be required to provide proof of identity.
There are exceptions to this, such as mental health records and records involving social care services where there is additional legislation to limit access to personal data.
If you provide information in confidence about another individual, your personal details will not be disclosed unless the Council obtains your permission. However, there are exceptions to this such as court orders and protection of the public among others.
How to see your records
A fee of £10 along with identification is required before any searches can be made. The Council has 40 calendar days in which to provide the information, as long as you or your representative (where appropriate) has supplied sufficient information. You can apply to see a record by contacting the Information Governance Manager (contact details below).
The ‘eight data protection principles’
The eight principles of the Act make sure that data is handled properly. They say that data must be :
fairly and lawfully processed
processed for limited purposes
adequate, relevant and not excessive
accurate
not kept for longer than is necessary
processed in line with individual’s rights
secure
not transferred to countries without adequate protection.
For more information on data protection, visit the Information Commissioner's website or contact us.
These terms and conditions are subject to change from time to time and we will post any changes here.
Holding and sharing of information
Your personal data will be held and processed in accordance with the requirements and obligations prescribed by the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act). The information you provide in order for us to administer the Council's services will be shared both internally and externally in order for the prevention and detection of fraud, as guided by the terms of the Act.
The Council participates in the National Fraud Initiative. This is a government backed bi-annual initiative which matches data from a range of public bodies (and, in the future, may include private sector bodies) to prevent and detect fraud.
This initiative provides valuable information which ensures that public resources are safeguarded. The Council is required by law to provide this information.
Along with this, the Council in its dedication to quality customer services will share information internally to ensure it fulfils these commitments. However, you can be assured that only the minimum information required will be processed for this purpose.
Finally, your personal information is kept securely at all times and only those persons who are authorised have access to it.
Advertising policy
The Council welcomes advertising in all its publications – online and offline – in order to minimise the costs of their production, which are otherwise borne by residents and taxpayers.
We will generally accept all advertising that is legal, decent, honest and truthful. We reserve the right to refuse advertising that in our opinion conflicts with Council values and priorities, or that could bring the Council into disrepute.
Comments and questions concerning the Lewisham Council website
If you have any comments or questions concerning these terms and conditions, please contact us.