Countryside Services: Privacy Notice

What is personal information?

Personal information can be anything that relates to a living person and that can be used to identify them. For example, this includes your name and contact details.

How and why does Countryside Services and Outdoor Recreation use personal information?

The Countryside Services and Outdoor Recreation team has a number of legal obligations and may need to use personal information to carry out these duties.

It is a legal obligation of the Service to assert and protect the public's right to use and enjoy public rights of way. We may need to use personal data to carry out this duty when contacting the occupier of land affected by a public right of way. For example, we may need to do this so that we can carry out practical maintenance ourselves and to work with the landholder to make sure that it is open for use. We may also receive reports about problems on paths from members of the public, and that information is used to inform our future work programmes.

The team also has a legal obligation to maintain the Registers of Common Land and Town or Village Greens. The Registers themselves contain a certain amount of personal information - names and addresses - which is open for public inspection.

We hold legal deposits and registers of applications in relation to public rights of way, common land and Town or Village Greens that must be available for public inspection, which include names and addresses.

From time to time, we carry out public consultations e.g. when we receive an application to divert a public right of way, or to amend a possible error or omission on the legal registers of public rights of way, Common Land and Town or Village Greens. When that happens, personal information may need to be shared with the wider public, as part of the consultation process, in decision‑making reports and other processes (e.g. a hearing) or in a submission to the Planning Inspectorate.

We have other responsibilities that we carry out because they are public tasks that are in the public interest, which often involve using personal information. For example, we provide advice about management of common land and liaise with members of the public, landowners, graziers and others to help to resolve problems. The Council owns and manages areas of land and has general responsibilities towards members of the public using them.

With whom might we share personal data?

If we need to share personal information to carry out our work, or to assist other Agencies to carry out their role then we will only share the information that is considered to be necessary to achieve that, and not more. We might need to share information with a range of people or organisations, including:

• Other local authorities;
• Brecon Beacons National Park Authority;
• Natural Resources Wales;
• The Welsh Government;
• The Police or Courts;
• Community or Town Councils;
• Volunteer teams carrying out maintenance work;
• Statutory undertakers (e.g. gas or water companies);
• Path user groups, e.g. as part of a consultation;
• Contractors or businesses to enable them to deliver agreed works or materials
• The wider public, as part of a consultation or public decision-making process;
• Other partner agencies.

For more information about how personal information is stored and protected, how long it is kept and your rights:

More information can be found on our privacy page or please contact the Council's Data Protection Officer, County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, Tel 01597 826400 or email information.compliance@powys.gov.uk