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Data Protection Complaints Procedure

Guidelines for submitting and resolving your Data Protection Complaints

Data Protection Complaints Procedure

The College takes its obligations and responsibilities under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) (2018), the Data Protection Act (2018), and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) very seriously. However, if you feel that the College has not met your expectations while handling your personal data, you have the right of complaint.

 This procedure sets out how the College will respond to complaints relating to:

  • Individuals and the use of their personal data and/or personal data processing
  • The handling of a data subject access request

Raising a concern or making a complaint

If you wish to raise a concern or make a complaint about the way in which your personal data or a data subject access request has been handled, you are advised to follow the Data Protection Complaints Procedure.

The College hopes to address all concerns and resolve complaints on an informal basis, and would advise individuals to follow the informal complaints, before pursuing the formal complaints procedure.

  1. Contact the College Data Protection Lead (CDPL) to resolve your complaint informally.
     
  2. Please provide a clear explanation of your complaint, and where appropriate, the effect it has had on you.
     
  3. The CDPL will acknowledge your informal complaint within 5 working days, and should reply in full within one month.
     
  4. There may be occasions where we require further information or clarification, or more time to complete our response. If this occurs, the CDPL will inform you within the original timescales.
     
  5. A written response to your informal complaint will be sent to you using your preferred communication method.
     
  6. If you are dissatisfied with our response, or do not receive our response within one month, please follow the formal complaints procedure.

Following the response to your informal complaint, if you continue to be dissatisfied with the decision, you can make a formal complaint.

  1. Contact the College Data Protection Lead (CDPL) in writing, and where appropriate provide with supporting documentation/evidence.
     
  2. Please provide a clear explanation of your formal complaint and the reasons for requesting a review of the decision.
     
  3. The CDPL will acknowledge your formal complaint within 5 working days.
     
  4. Your complaint will be investigated and a response should be provided within one month from the receipt of your formal complaint.
     
  5. A written response to your formal complaint will be sent to you using your preferred communication method.
     
  6. If you are still dissatisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). 

If, after following the Data Protection Complaints Procedure, you are still dissatisfied with our response, you may refer the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). 

Information Commissioner's Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow, 
Cheshire SK9 5AF