Privacy notices and cookies

When you visit this website for the first time you will see a message advising you that cookies are used on this website. Some parts of the website may not work properly if you choose to refuse cookies from this site.

No sensitive information such as telephone numbers or email addresses are stored within these cookies. The cookies we use provide us with information regarding the behaviour of users within our site - what areas are of interest to them and what services they frequently use, etc. They may also be used to remember login details for some services, e.g. online job applications.

The table below explains the cookies we use and why.

Personal information: This can be anything that identifies and relates to a living person, for example, name and address.

'Special category' information: Some types of information about you are more special and need further protection, as they are sensitive. These are called special category information:

• Political or philosophical beliefs
• Sex-life and sexuality
• Health
• Ethnicity
• Trade union membership
• Genetic or biometric data (fingerprints or facial recognition technology)
• Criminal records

We need to use information about you in order to:

• Offer you services and support
• Manage services
• Help investigate complaints
• Check the quality of services
• Ensure that expenditure is appropriate
• Help research and plan new services

There are a number of legal reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information.

We will tell you the reason when we are collecting this information from you. Usually, we will do that where:

• you have given your permission
• you have a contract with us
• it is necessary so that we can carry out our statutory duties
• it is necessary in order to protect someone in an emergency
• the law says that it must be done
• it is necessary for employment reasons
• It is necessary in order to provide health or social care services
• you have already made your information public
• it is necessary for legal cases
• it is necessary in the interest of society
• it is necessary to protect public health
• it is necessary for the purposes of archiving, research or statistical purposes.

Where we rely on your consent to use your information, you are entitled to withdraw that consent at any time.  Contact the Council's Data Protection Officer if you wish to remove your consent (contact details on bottom of page).

Where possible, we will only collect and use personal information if it is needed to provide a service or respond to a request.

The law gives you a number of rights:

Asking for information about yourself

You have the right to ask for all the information that we have about you.

However, we cannot give you information if the record includes:

• Confidential information about other people; or
• Information that a professional believes would cause serious harm to the physical or mental welfare of yourself or someone else; or
• If providing the information would prevent us from preventing or solving a crime

Request information about yourself

Up to one month is allowed to respond to requests; however, this could be extended by up to a further two months if the application is bulky or complex.

To receive information about your other rights, visit For the public (ICO website) (opens in new tab)

We share your information with a large number of external organisations so that we can provide a service to you.

We will provide details about these organisations when we collect the information from you.

Sometimes, we have a legal duty to share information with others, e.g. the courts, DWP and HMRC. We may also share information with external bodies for the purpose of detecting and preventing fraud, for example, the National Fraud Initiative.

It should be noted that we will also collect and share information with the Auditor General Wales in connection with his audit work and studies. In terms of joint working, the data sharing may take place pursuant to the duty at Section 33 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.

We will also share information if it is felt that there are specific risks to the public or staff or in order to safeguard children or vulnerable adults.

We have signed the Wales Accord on the Sharing of Personal Information WASPI, namely a set of consistent standards for the sharing of information about users across the public, private and third sectors in Wales.

Therefore, in some cases, there will be a specific protocol for the sharing of information under the Wales framework. The agreement between all partners will explain which information is shared, when, how and with whom.

How do we protect your information?

We take specific steps to protect your records, whether paper or electronic records.

This is done, for example, by ensuring that access to information on systems is managed so that it is only available to the people who need to know, that information is transferred using appropriate methods (use of encryption), and by training staff.

How long do we keep your information?

This will vary from service to service. We have a retention schedule which states the length of time for which different types of records should be kept.

View privacy notices for Cyngor Gwynedd's services

Data protection complaints process

Complaints regarding data protection matters should be addressed to the Data Protection Officer at DataProtectionOfficer@gwynedd.llyw.cymru (opens in new tab)

What is a data protection complaint?

A data protection complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about how we have handled your personal data.

Examples of such complaints might include concerns that personal data has not been handled securely; that information has not been obtained fairly; difficulties in accessing your personal information; difficulties in exercising a right under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act or that personal data had been retained for longer than was necessary.

Your complaint will usually be considered by the DPO. The DPO will:

1. Log your complaint and acknowledge receipt
2. Undertake any necessary investigations and respond directly to you within one calendar month. Where it is not possible to meet the calendar month deadline, you will be advised and an alternative timescale notified.

If your complaint also involves a service delivery issue that does not relate to data protection, that element of your complaint will be dealt with separately via Formal complaint against Cyngor Gwynedd

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you may raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK regulatory body for data protection matters.

More information (ICO website) (opens in new tab)