Local Council Public Advisory Service
Dear Colleagues
We are aware that you are receiving a lot of communication regarding the new Data Protection Regime coming into force on 25th May 18.
We are also aware that there is conflicting advice being given.
We have taken advice from the Information Commissioner regarding the Data Protection Officer, who are of the view this role can be carried out by a member of staff. This advice we now understand, is backed up by SLCC who have also spoken to the ICO. Unless the ICO change their advice we will continue to help Councils and Clerks who choose this route. We are happy to provide the ICO advice on request.
We want Officers and Councils to have a choice and also have access to a Data Protection Officer service that is delivered by experts in Parish and Town Council law and procedure. You should be careful before entering into a contract with a company that does not understand Councils or how they use data, where data can be found or what safe guards need to be put in place. We are aware that Councils are being pushed towards companies quoting huge amounts of money for their service.
We always take a practical approach to everything we do, including Data Protection Support, which is open to all Parish and Town Councils in England.
To this end we provide to a Data Protection Pack (Privacy Notices, Consent Forms and Policies), free for our subscribing Councils or at low cost of £30 to all others. This pack is delivered electronically so that you can tailor the documents to your Council, cutting out the amount of hours you would need to create them:
We also provide a Data Protection Officer Service, the only professional sector specific service in the country. This service is comprehensive and priced between £150 – £500 per year for Parish and Town Councils, we also include an annual visit to check compliance and assist where we find any weaknesses. Every Council will receive a Service Level Agreement for this service: Full details http://www.lcpas.co.uk/data-protection-officer-service.php
We also offer practical training on the new Data Protection Regime – We don’t just tell you the changes to the law, we help you understand what practical steps for hardcopy and electronic data needed to be undertaken to meet compliance. This course is highly regarded by all those who have attended including officers and Councillors from District and County Councils. We take away the hype and scare elements and teach you what you need to know in order to comply.
Next Courses are March 9th at 10am, 27th March at 10am, and April 12th at 10am – at our offices in Bury St Edmunds.
We are served by public transport including trains, we are easily accessible from the A14, A143. A134. There are a number of lovely hotels and bed and breakfasts should you wish to take the opportunity to spend a bit of time in our lovely town (we can help you book if you wish).
LCPAS Personal Information Audits are available on request. We come out and go through all of your hardcopy files and identify personal information, we create a full document audit and undertake a risk assessment of storage arrangements and office security. We also assess the security and integrity of your IT infrastructure and create a comprehensive report with recommendations. This cuts out hours and hours of Council man hours and is undertaken by experienced auditors to provide peace of mind. This is a very helpful service which will help your Council to get ready for compliance. We will be carrying out these audits before and beyond May.
Quotes on request please contact ceo@lcpas.co.uk
LCPAS are committed to providing practical solutions to help all Councils comply with the new Data Protection regime and will continue to do so, in any way we can.
LCPAS will be releasing a briefing and Personal Information Audit template, full check list of what you need to do and a risk assessment in the next few days, please keep an eye on our website www.lcpas.co.uk.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any assistance or have a queries relating to our services.
You do not need to be a subscribing council to our support services to be able to obtain any of the above services or attend any of our courses.
Very best wishes as ever
Jayne Cole
Chief Executive Officer
Local Council Public Advisory Service
The Vision Centre
Tel: 01284 766885
Mob: 07443009607
Advertisement Example of Mis- information:
Dear Mr Price
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATIONS
You will now probably be aware the law is changing with the new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), there are some significant changes and all organisations must be compliant by 25th May 2018 when the new regulations come into force. Any organisation that isn’t compliant could face hefty fines.
One of the changes is that all public authorities need to appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO), this includes all local councils irrespective of their size. The DPO can be an employee, however the GDPR (Articles 37-39) states that the DPO:
- Must not have a conflict of interest regarding the data processed
- Must have expert knowledge of GDPR
- Must have ability to undertake GDPR compliance tasks
Most clerks will be the Data Controller and therefore there will be a conflict of interest over data processed. As part of the compliance, local authorities must register their DPO details with I.C.O.
DM Payroll Services Ltd can provide a DPO service for your council. The offer of the DPO service includes
- Annual GDPR data audit
• Annual refresher training for staff
• Sign off Data Protection Impact Assessments
• Advising on GDPR compliance
• Liaison with Information Commissioners Office if necessary
The fee is dependent upon the income/expenditure bracket of your council, but if you clerk more than one council we can provide the service at a reduced rate per council. The service will include an initial visit to your premises to complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), this is a mandatory part of the regulations and must be completed before 25th May 2017.
About DM Payroll Services Ltd
We are a family run business with extensive knowledge of local councils. We have worked in the sector since 2000. From 2006 we have carried out internal audits for town and parish councils and provide a payroll service for over 200 councils nationwide.
We have recently extended the business and now have a Certified General Data Protection Regulation Practitioner included on our staff.
If you would like us to provide a quotation, then please contact me or our GDPR Practitioner at ben@dmpayrollservices.co.uk
Please note, because of the time it will take to carry out the DPIA and the limited time between now and 25th May, it is of paramount importance to appoint your DPO as soon as possible.
Yours faithfully
Diane Malley M.A.A.T