Privacy policy

Who we are?

Shropshire Council is the local government authority for Shropshire. Our address is Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND. You can contact our Data Protection Officer on: 01743 252774 or by email at information.request@shropshire.gov.uk 

How do we collect information from you?

We collect information from you when you visit our website, contact us in writing, speak to us on the phone, by email or any other type of electronic communication, or talk to us face to face.

What types of information do we collect from you?

We collect distinct categories of information about you, depending on the service you want from us and/or the reason we need to process information relating to you. This could be personal information (for example your name and address), or other more sensitive data that we would only collect and use in very particular circumstances that are set out in law.

Details of information obtained from third parties

We gather information from application forms, completed either by parents/carers, educational professionals or other local authority departments that require transport assistance. In terms of Connect on Demand (Demand Responsive Transport) we collect relevant information from users through our smart phone app or over the telephone when passengers make a booking.

How is your information used?

We may use your information to:

  • Assess and provide safe and appropriate travel arrangements for all eligible applicants
    • To assess entitlement and eligibility for transport assistance
    • To procure relevant travel arrangements based on individual needs and requirements
    • To set up monthly payment budgets for qualifying parents/carers
    • Notify parents/carers of any reviews or changes to our services
    • To contact parents/carers of any emergencies that may arise on contracted transport arrangements affecting their children
    • To correspond with any relevant agencies that may also have relevant information regarding an applicant; Educational facilities, social workers etc
    • To determine monthly attendance at an educational facility to enable accurate payments to be made to parents/carers who accept travelling expenses
    • The information that you provide will be stored on a 3rd party system operated by 365 Flexiroute (part of 365 Response) to keep up to date records of passengers, plan routes and provide collection and drop off information to relevant Drivers and Passenger Assistants through the 3rd party app, also provided by 365 Flexiroute. The purpose of the app is solely to enable the driver to receive the appropriate information they need in a more secure way
  • In terms of Connect on Demand, our demand responsive public transport initiative, the information you provide will be stored on our 3rd party system operated by VIA to keep up to date records of booked passengers. Information required is forename, surname, telephone number and email address as well as special data such as whether the passenger uses a wheelchair to determine the most suitable vehicle to be sent and whether the passenger has a concessionary bus pass to entitle the passenger to free travel. The information is shared with the driver via the secure app to ensure the most suitable route is utilised.

Research and statistics

Anonymised and pseudonymised data may be used for research & statistical purposes. Any data collected may be used for research and statistical purposes that are relevant and compatible with the purpose that the data was collected for.

Who has access to your information?

We may share your information with the following third parties for the reasons detailed.

  • Taxi, minibus and coach operators, and volunteer car drivers providing information to allow them to undertake transport to and from schools, day centres and other destinations as required on Shropshire Council’s behalf
  • Internally with other departments such as the SEN (Special Educational Needs) team, admissions, education access, safeguarding, social workers, and licensing department
  • Statutory agencies, such as the Police, National Fraud Authority and Local Government Ombudsman – We may share your information with statutory agencies in line with our legal obligations and/or in completion of our public tasks
  • Our Transport Management System provided by 365 Flexiroute (part of 365 Response). To enable us to manage the information of all passengers including emergency contacts, plan journeys and utilise our 3rd party app, also provided by 365 Flexiroute, for Drivers and Passenger Assistants to access up to date collection and drop off information for relevant passengers
  • Our demand responsive transport system provided by VIA. To enable us to provide booked public transport for passengers and synchronize the information to enable the system to determine the most suitable route for booked passengers

We will not sell or rent your information to third parties. We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.

What are your rights in relation to the personal data we process?
  • Access – you can request copies of any of your personal information that is held by the Council
  • Rectification – you can ask us to correct any incorrect information
  • Deletion – you can ask us to delete your personal information. The Council can refuse to delete information if we have a lawful reason to keep this
  • Portability – you can ask us to transfer your personal data to different services or to you in some circumstances
  • Right to object or restrict processing – you have the right to object to how your data is being used and how it is going to be used in the future
  • Right to prevent automatic decisions – you have the right to challenge a decision that affects you that has been made automatically without human intervention, for example an online form with an instant decision
  • How long will we keep your information for? – we keep and dispose of all records in line with our corporate retention schedule. We will comply with Data Protection legislation regarding how long we keep your data. 

What security precautions in place to protect the loss, misuse, or alteration of your information?

We are strongly committed to data security and will take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or corruption. We have put in place physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard the information you provide to us. However, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us. We recommend that you take every precaution to protect your personal information. 

Keeping your data up to date

We want to ensure any information we hold is accurate. You can help us by promptly informing us of any changes to the information we hold about you.

Details of any automated decision processes

We do not currently have any automated decision-making processes. 

Under 13

If you are accessing online services and are under the age of 13‚ please get your parent/guardian's permission beforehand whenever you provide us with personal information.

Cookies and IP addresses - what are cookies and why are they used?

Cookies are small text files which identify your computer to our servers. They are used to improve the user experience. View what cookies we use and how you can manage them here.

Complaints

If you would like to make a complaint regarding the use of your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Officer:

Information Governance, Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND
Tel: 01743 25277
Email: Information.request@shropshire.gov.uk

For independent advice about data protection, privacy, and data sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

Information Commisioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate)
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
www.ico.org.uk