PN163 - HDRC Unit Privacy Notice

Torfaen County Borough Council is committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services. This Privacy Notice is designed to give you information about the data we hold about you, how we use it, your rights in relation to it and the safeguards in place to protect it.

TCBC Service Area: Adults & communities
Work area: Research and Evaluation
Contact Details: Gareth.cooke@torfaen.gov.uk
Privacy Notice Name: HDRC Unit

Data Controller: Torfaen County Borough Council, c/o Civic Centre, Pontypool, NP4 6YB

If you wish to raise a concern about the handling of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer on 01495 762200 or email dpa@torfaen.gov.uk

This Privacy Notice covers the collection and use of data for research and evaluation conducted or supported by the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) Torfaen. The HDRC is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), to enhance research capacity and capability across the Council, and to undertake and support research and evaluation to improve services for the benefit of local communities. The aim of the HDRC is to support the Council to address the wider determinants of health and heath inequalities in Torfaen through the use of research and evidence in decision making.

Who provides your data to the Council?

The personal information we process is provided to us directly by you, or a parent/carer for those under 16, when you participate in a research study conducted by HDRC Torfaen researchers, and Council staff involved in research projects. We collect this data to carry out research and evaluation to understand how we can improve services and the health and wellbeing of Torfaen communities.  

We may also receive personal information indirectly from other council service areas and partner organisations, including Gwent Public Service Board organisations such as the Health Board, Gwent Police, Public Health Wales, etc. Should data be collected from such organisations, it will only be for the purpose of research and evaluation to the benefit of Torfaen. 

How does the Council collect this information?

  • Consent forms
  • Research interviews
  • Focus groups
  • Questionnaires (completed in-person or online)
  • Surveys (completed in-person or online)

What information does the Council collect about you?

HDRC Torfaen will collect a range of information which will be determined by specific research projects, but the information will only be used when necessary for the specific needs of the research. Consequently, information collected will vary from project to project, but could include: 

  • Name and contact information
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Ethnicity
  • Employment
  • Education/ qualifications
  • Health and wellbeing information

Why does the Council process your personal data?

Under Article 6 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:

(a) Your consent.

(e) We need it to perform a public task.

Special categories of personal data

We may collect the following special category data:

  • personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin
  • personal data revealing political opinions
  • personal data revealing religious or philosophical beliefs
  • personal data revealing trade union membership
  • data concerning health
  • data concerning a person’s sex life
  • data concerning a person’s sexual orientation

We collect this under Article 9 of the UK GDPR.

AND

Where we collect criminal data this is processed within the Council under Article 10 of the UK GDPR.

Who has access to your data?

Your data is shared internally only with the appropriate staff where it is necessary for the performance of their roles.

Your data may also be shared externally with organisations for research and evaluation purposes, however, only where it has been anonymised. These may include, but not be limited to:

  • Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
  • Other GPSB organisations
  • University of South Wales

Apart from where previously stated, we do not pass your details to third parties unless we are lawfully required do so.

Is the Data transferred out of the UK?

No

How does the Council keep your data secure?

The Council has internal policies in place to ensure the data it processes is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed. Access to this data is restricted in accordance with the Council’s internal policies and in compliance with the UK GDPR.

Data will be stored securely in:

  • Electronic folders on secure servers
  • Identifiable data will be stored in staff-restricted electronic folders within the Council. Only members of the research team with demonstrable need will be granted access to this data.
  • Data from paper forms is uploaded to secure servers and subsequently shredded at a pre-specified date, which will be detailed to research participants during recruitment, prior to collecting informed consent.

Where the Council engages third parties to process personal data on its behalf, they do so on the basis of written instructions. These third parties are also under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate measures to ensure the security of data.

How long does the Council keep your data?

The Council will hold your personal data only for the period that is necessary and will follow organisational and Local Authority standards in this area. At the end of the retention period the Council will securely destroy or dispose of the data in line with retention schedules.

  • Identifiable data will be stored temporarily prior to anonymisation or pseudonymisation. The specific duration will be detailed to participants prior to them providing informed consent to participate in the study. This is likely to be up to one month following the collection of raw data. E.g. questionnaires, surveys, recordings, transcripts.
  • The anonymised data will be stored for 5 years and then deleted from HDRC electronic folders.  
  • Anonymised data may eventually be stored in a Torfaen Council databank, for research activities.

Are we making automated decisions/profiling with your data?

No

Your rights

You have a number of Rights you can exercise:

  • Access - to obtain a copy of your data on request
  • Rectification – to require the Council to change incorrect or incomplete data
  • Object, Restrict or Delete - under certain circumstances you can require the Council to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing
  • Data portability – to receive and/or transmit data provided to the Council to other organisations (this applies in limited circumstances)
  • Withdraw your consent at any time (where consent has been given)
  • To know the consequences of failing to provide data to the Council
  • To know the existence of any Automated Decision-making, including profiling, and the consequences of this for you.
  • To lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Information Commissioners Office)

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact: Gareth Cooke, Head of HDRC Torfaen, Civic Centre, Pontypool, NP4 6YB Gareth.cooke@torfaen.gov.uk

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (Wales), 2nd Floor, Churchill House, Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2HH. Telephone 0330 414 6421 or e-mail Wales@ico.org.uk

Last Modified: 21/05/2025 Back to top