This privacy statement is applicable to the website www.southwarkpensions.co.uk (the Site), owned by Southwark Council, and summarises the precautions which Southwark Council will take to protect the personal data which it may obtain from any person using the Site (the data subject). You can also view the privacy statement at www.southwark.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/pensions/how-we-use-your-data.
Data controller – this is Southwark Council who determine the purpose and means of personal data processing.
Data processor – this is a person responsible for processing personal data on behalf of a controller (Southwark Council). The processor has specific legal obligations placed on them; for example, they are required to maintain records of personal data and processing activities. They will have legal liability if they are responsible for a breach.
Third party – this is a natural or legal person, public authority, agency or body other than the data, controller, processor and persons who, under the direct authority of the controller or processor, are authorised to process personal data.
Southwark Council will apply the following principles when operating the Site:
- Personal data will be fairly and lawfully obtained and processed
- Personal data will be held only for lawful and specified purposes such as benefit calculations and any activity relating to the day to day administration of the Southwark Pension Fund.
- Personal data will not be used or disclosed in any manner incompatible with the purposes for which they are held
- Personal data will be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purposes for which they are held
- Personal data will be accurate, kept up to date and rectified at the data subject’s request
- Personal data will not be kept longer than necessary and will be deleted from any database at the data subject’s request
- Data subjects will be given access to data relating to them on request
- Personal data will be protected by reasonable security measures against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, destruction or loss
In particular, no personal data will be collected about any data subject who isn’t first made aware of the use to which such data will be put and is given an opportunity to object to such proposed use. The data subject will also be given an opportunity to ‘opt-in’ to receiving promotional and/or marketing information about other products, services and offerings.
By using the Southwark Council website the user, a data subject, is giving their consent to Southwark Council to use his/her data for the following purposes and Southwark Council reserves its right to do so:
- To contact the data subject regarding any matter relevant to the underlying service and/or personal data collected
- To perform statistical analysis of the personal data in order to measure interest in and use of the Site and to inform advertisers of the results of such analysis without identifying the data subject
- To permit third parties to offer subscription and/or registration-based services through the Site, in which case the data subject is advised to check the basis on which personal data is held and/or used by such third party.
All users should be made aware that when they voluntarily disclose personal data (e.g. user name, email address) on any bulletin boards or chat areas of the Site, that information, along with any substantive information disclosed in the user’s communication, can be collected and correlated and used by third parties and may result in unsolicited messages from other posters or third parties. Such activities are beyond the control of Southwark Council. Accordingly, to the extent permitted by law, Southwark Council accepts no liability for any damages, losses or costs that a user may incur (howsoever arising) from their use of any of Southwark Council’s websites.
Users also should be made aware that personal data may be automatically collected through the standard operation of Southwark Council’s internet servers or through the use of cookies which are small text files a website can use to recognise repeat users, facilitate the user’s ongoing access to and use of the site and which allow a site to collect data that will allow content improvements and targeted advertising. Users should be made aware that Southwark Council cannot control the use of cookies or the resulting information by advertisers or third parties hosting data for Southwark Council. If a user doesn’t want information collected through the use of cookies, there is a simple procedure in most browsers that allow the user to deny or accept the cookie feature; however, users should note that cookies may be necessary to provide the user with certain features (e.g. customised delivery of information) available on the Site.
Southwark Council reserves the right to make changes to this privacy statement at any time. This statement and its contents are not intended to and do not create any contractual or other legal rights in or on behalf of any party.
Use of cookies
Like many websites, this service uses cookies. Cookies are small text files of information that a web server transfers to a cookie file on the device you are using to browse this website (commonly a computer or mobile phone) to collect and store information. It’s important for us to use them because we can deliver an efficient service to you and also analyse customer journeys through the website to inform future enhancements.
Likewise, cookies are beneficial to your use of this website because they avoid the need for you to enter the same information several times during one transaction and also safeguard your security when using our secure online services.
There are two types of cookie which can be stored on your device:
- A session cookie which lasts for the amount of time you keep your web browser open.
- A persistent cookie which is stored on your device for a defined period of time.
We use both of these types of cookies which fall into two categories termed by us as (1) strictly necessary cookies, and (2) performance analytics cookies.
Strictly necessary cookies
These are the types of cookies that let you move around the website and use its features.
In this category we use both session and persistent cookies. The session cookies help you make applications for services and also log in and navigate around secure areas of the website. The persistent cookie is only set if you tick a box on the login screen for the website to remember part of your login details for a future visit. However, it’ll make you aware that a cookie is used to support this and also advise you not to do this if you’re using a computer in a public place.
Performance analytics cookies
We use performance analytics cookies to gather statistical information on how people navigate the site such as: the number of visits and number of pages per visit, paths taken by visitors through the site, duration and time of visits, type of web browsers used and other general data. From this detail, we are able to continually improve our visitors’ experience of this website.
We use Google Analytics to provide this information. This sets both session and persistent cookies to help us understand user behaviour. The session cookies (_utmb and _utmc) tell us when a user enters the website and either exits it or performs no further actions for longer than 30 minutes. The persistent cookies (_utma and _utmz) tell us how visitors find our website and their uniqueness i.e. their number of visits and how recent or frequent they are.
None of the cookies used on our websites collect personally identifiable information about you.
By continuing to use this website, you are consenting to us placing cookies on your device for the purposes detailed above.
If you don’t want cookies placed on your device, you can find details of how to block them on the most widely used devices and browsers at www.allaboutcookies.org. Please note though that if you block our cookies, we cannot guarantee that the website and your experience whilst visiting are as we intended it to be.
You can also block all Google Analytics cookies across all websites by getting the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on here.
Changes in legislation
We continue to monitor the situation regarding clarity of the new EU cookies directive and steps required to implement these on a practical level. We will make any further necessary adjustments to this website as further guidance is issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office.