Councillors & Data Protection: Safety First: the GDPR Challenge

Complying with Data protection requirements is a major challenge for councillors. Failure to meet the legal requirements can open councillors up to the legal challenge or a complaint under a Councils Standards scheme.

The ‘Councillors and Data Protection course’ takes participants through the legal framework. It highlights the importance of key issues such as consent to share data. It covers the Data Protection principles. It covers Freedom of Information and the importance of keeping data safe and secure.

It highlights that data requirements and access are different for the different roles councillors take on.

The training covers case studies that highlight the challenges and tricky issues councillors can face.

Key Outcomes

1. That councillors will be clear on the legal requirements placed on them as councillors.
2. How the legal requirements vary depending on roles undertaken, covering the position of Cabinet members, quasi-judicial roles, external roles and committee roles.
3. That councillors become fully aware of the data protection and Freedom of information challenges arising from casework.
4. That councillors are fully aware of the requirement around data management including security and storage and sharing of data.
5. That councillors are clear about key issues such as consent to hold or share data.
6. Through the case studies understand how difficult some data protection issues are requiring firm consideration.
7. That the breadth of the data protection challenge includes, records, emails, WhatsApp and reports.

Who should attend?

Attendance and participation in the course will provide councillors with a clear understanding of the challenges and dangers around personal data.

The benefits will focus on developing a good understanding of data protection challenges and the importance of them for a councillor carrying out their role.

All councillors will be involved in case work advocating for the residents they represent. This raises key data protection issues and this course will help councillors to manage personal data within the law and good practice.

Trainer:

Nigel Long

Nigel has been disabled since the age of 17 and was a councillor from 1987 to 2021. As a Councillor, he served as a Council leader for a large unitary authority and cabinet member roles for social care, housing and finance. Nigel has been CEO of two disability charities for 9 years and was Head of Policy for a national tenant organisation. Currently, he is also a guest member of the London Mayor’s Housing Panel. Nigel is also a long-standing trainer having provided training to over 70 councils, housing associations and third sector organisations and has written widely on housing, social care, disability, tenant engagement and equalities issues for the LGiU. He currently produces a weekly Action Disability Blog.