Independent remuneration panel member privacy notice

What personal information is being processed and what for

The Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 requires authorities to establish an Independent Remuneration Panel following a recruitment process.

Up to four independent people make up the Cheshire East Panel. Prospective Candidates are invited to apply for the posts by completing a paper application form following which Candidates are shortlisted for interview. The successful Candidates are appointed to the role by the Corporate Policy Committee for a four year period.

Information which a Candidate is asked to supply on the application form includes:

name, address and contact details (email and telephone number)
previous employment with the Council
any relationship the Candidate may have with an elected Member or Council employee
details of experience and personal attributes of the Candidate in relation to the role
conduct matters which might affect a Candidate’ ability to carry out the role
details of two referees

This information will be processed by Cheshire East Council for any purpose relating to the appointment to the role of Independent Remuneration Panel member.

In accordance with the Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003, Candidates interested in joining the Panel have to be completely independent of the Council. In addition, they cannot:

be politically active
have been disqualified from being or becoming a member of an authority
have a relationship with a Councillor or a member of the authority’s staff

In respect of bullet point two above, it is necessary for Candidates to be asked to declare on their application form, any unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or final warnings that are not “protected”. Where declarations are made, the information is processed by Cheshire East Council in accordance with Article 9(2)(b) of the General Data Protection Regulation.

Information collected from Candidates at interview will be processed by Cheshire East Council for any purpose relating to the appointment to the role of Independent Remuneration Panel member.

Why we are allowed to use your information

Some of the information that we collect about you, is required under law (a task in the public interest).

The Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003 requires authorities (I.E. Cheshire East Council) to establish an Independent Remuneration Panel following a recruitment process, for the purpose of making recommendations to it (‘the Council’) on the amount of allowances which should be paid to its Councillors.

Who we will share your information with

Completed applications forms are received by the Head of Democratic Services and Governance and/or any other staff from Democratic Services appointed by him for this purpose.

Application forms will be considered by the Head of Democratic Services and Governance and/or any other staff from Corporate and/or Democratic Services appointed by him or elected Members of the Council, for the purpose of shortlisting Candidates for interview.

Information collected from Candidates at interview will be shared with members of the Interview Panel, which will usually consist of the Head of Democratic Services and Governance; any other staff from Corporate and/or Democratic Services appointed by him, and may also include elected Members of the Council.

Successful Candidates may be invited to complete a pen picture, for publicity purposes once appointed or this may be created for them, with their consent by the Communications Team.

Each Panel member’s contact details (usually email) will, with their consent, be shared with the Head of Democratic Services and Governance; any other staff from Democratic Services appointed by him and other panel members for the purposes of correspondence and the administration of meetings.

Bank account details provided by the successful Candidates to Democratic Services will be shared with Payments and Income in order to process expenses claims and for mileage payments to be made.

Cheshire East Council publishes recordings of public meetings on the Council’s website. If a Panel member asks a question, or participates in a discussion at one of these meetings, information about them will be included in these records.

The names of the Panel members (but no other personal details) will be listed on the Council’s website under Councillor expenses and allowances.

Our website can be seen throughout the world, and not just in the United Kingdom where UK law applies.

Where we get your information from

We will collect personal data from Candidates as part of the application process (application form) and from the interview process.

We will contact Candidates’ referees by their preferred communication method (E.G. email, letter, telephone) to obtain a character statement from them. This statement irrespective of format will be provided to the Interview Panel prior to a formal offer of appointment being made.

Successful Candidates will be asked to supply bank account details/vehicular details for the purposes of processing expenses/mileage claims.

How long we will keep your personal information

Personal information obtained as part of the recruitment process will be securely disposed of once the appointments process has been concluded.

Personal information obtained from successful Candidates as part of the recruitment and appointment process will be kept in accordance with the Council’s Information Asset Policy.

How your information is stored

Written expressions of interest from Candidates (either by email or by letter) will be filed electronically on a secure Council server, hard copy letters having been converted to electronic format. Paper copies will be filed and kept in a secure office for the duration of the recruitment and retention process.

Applications forms will be filed electronically on a secure Council server, hard copy forms having been converted to electronic format. Paper copies will be filed and kept in a secure office for the duration of the recruitment and retention process.

Information collected at interview will be scanned and filed electronically on a secure Council server, hard copy having been converted to electronic format. Paper copies will be filed and kept in a secure office for the duration of the recruitment and retention process.

Any other correspondence generated as part of the process, E.G. letters will be filed electronically on a secure Council server, hard copy letters having been converted to electronic format. Paper copies will be filed and kept in a secure office for the duration of the recruitment and selection process.

What happens if you don’t provide us with your information

You may not be considered for the position if you do not give your consent to providing the information requested.

Will your information be used to make automated decisions

Your rights

You have a number of rights regarding your personal data, including withdrawing your consent where we have asked for it. You can also ask for a copy of the information we hold about you and ask us to correct anything that is wrong.

For detailed information about your rights please see our privacy notice.

Page last reviewed: 22 December 2021