Privacy and cookies
Communities and Economy service privacy notice
How your personal information is used by Communities and Economy
Here at Midlothian Council, we take your privacy seriously. Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you have a right to know how we collect, use and share your personal data. The information below provides a general description of the kinds of personal data we collect in Communities and Economy as we work to maximise the quality of the economic, physical, and social environments of our communities, and how we might use and share it.
You can find more detailed information about how and why we use your data in individual Privacy Notices, which we issue when we collect your data. The information we collect will depend on the work we need to do, or the service you get from us.
Service-specific privacy notices
- Building Standards (PDF)
- Conservation and Environment - Planning (PDF)
- Development Planning - MLDP2 (PDF)
- Economic Development (PDF)
- Environmental Health (PDF)
- Planning (PDF)
- Strategic Transport Planning Service (PDF)
- Trading Standards (PDF)
- Welfare Rights (PDF)
Our Privacy Promise
We promise to collect, process, store and share your data safely and securely.
What lets us collect your information?
- Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended by the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006)
- Building (Scotland) Act 2003
- Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
- Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015
- Legislation relating to Food Safety, Health and Safety, Private Sector Housing, Environmental Protection, and Housing.
What kinds of personal data do we collect?
The personal data we collect might include your name, date of birth, address, National Insurance number, or other information that identifies you. If necessary, we might also collect what is called ‘special category’ data – that is, sensitive information such as medical/health information, as well as data on commercial business matters and land ownership.
How do we collect your personal data?
We collect your personal data in many different ways. You might give us your personal data yourself, by entering your information in a form on the Council website or by contacting a Council officer in person, in writing or over the phone. We might also receive your personal data from other agencies or local authorities. If we share information regularly with another organisation, the conditions for sharing your personal data are set out in an Information Sharing Agreement.
How do we use your personal data?
- Planning Service; includes the handling of planning applications, planning appeals and planning enforcement, preparation of planning policy and development plans, and environmental planning.
- Building Standards Service; including the handling of building warrant applications, licensing, and dangerous building structures.
- Communities Service; including community planning, neighbourhood planning, grants to communities, and engagement with communities on matters such as community asset transfers, and welfare rights advice/support.
- Economic Development; including promotion of economic development, and advice/support to businesses through Business Gateway.
- Environmental Health Service; including public protection, public health, licensing, contaminated land, food safety, occupational health and safety, and infectious disease control.
- Trading Standards Service ; including customer protection, animal health/welfare, weights and measures, product safety, counterfeit goods and consumer credit.
Specific information about how we use your personal data is covered in service-specific Privacy Notices.
Why do we share your personal data?
We might share your personal data in order to effectively deliver our services. This might be because another agency has been contracted to provide a service, or because responsibility for particular services is vested with other agencies or authorities, such as those relating to public health and consumer protection.
Specific information about how and why your personal data is shared is covered in service-specific Privacy Notices.
With whom do we share your personal data?
If necessary, we might share your personal data with other agencies and authorities, depending on the service being provided. We will only share your personal data if it is necessary to do so, and the appropriate conditions have been met.
In general, the external bodies with whom we share information might include:
Statutory and other consultees in the handing of applications received in respect of the Council’s responsibilities under planning, building, environmental health, economic development, and trading standards legislation.
Personal data also might be shared between Midlothian Council services, including Schools.
Specific information about other bodies with whom we share your personal data is covered in service-specific Privacy Notices.
How long do we keep your personal data?
Your personal data is kept in line with Midlothian Council’s Retention Schedule. The retention schedule sets out the kinds of information the Council creates and uses, how long it should be kept, and what should be done with it at the end of its ‘life’.
Further information
You can find out more about how we use your information to detect and prevent fraud or crime, information collected through our website, recorded telephone calls, CCTV, the rights you have under the Data Protection Act, and how to contact us by referring to the overarching Midlothian Privacy Notice.