Issue - meetings

Purpose of Report

To seek approval for a permanent Data Protection Officer post to be added onto the Council’s establishment as part of the Business Development and Information Technology team.

Decision

That a permanent Data Protection Officer post be added to the Council’s establishment.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

None.

Reason for Decision

A Data Protection Officer post was required for councils in the General Data Protection Regulations, which would replace the Data Protection Act 1998 in May 2018. By having this post permanently on the establishment would ensure that the Council was compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations in this respect and the authority would be able to demonstrate that it took data privacy seriously for individuals. It would also make it less likely that the authority would breach the legal framework, thereby avoiding significant fines and reputational damage.

It was reported that the additional post would be funding from within the existing service budgets.