Making a request for personal information
The UK General Data Protection Regulations gives you the right to access information we hold about you, this is called a 'Subject Access Request' (SAR).
How to make a Subject Access Request
If you wish to make a request for personal data, please contact us via subjectaccess@bolton.gov.uk, with as much detail as possible about the information you are seeking.
Requesting your own personal information
If you are a requester asking for your own personal data, we require the following identification:
- one piece of identification that contains your photo (e.g. Drivers Licence, Passport)
- one piece of correspondence such as a utility bill that shows your name and address, and is less than 6 months old
Requesting information on behalf of someone else
If you are a requester acting on behalf of someone else, please provide proof of their identity as well as your own, we also need to be satisfied that you are allowed to represent the individual and therefore require the following:
- written authorisation from the person you are representing, or
- a more general power of attorney
Childrens records
if you are requesting information about a child, we require proof that you are their parent or legal guardian. Please note that you are not always entitled to a child’s records depending on the age and the best interest of the child.
It is quicker and easier to email us scanned copies to SubjectAccess@bolton.gov.uk. If you wish to send hardcopies instead, please send photocopies to the address below. Please note that we do reserve the right to have sight of original documentation.
Information Governance Team
Room 120, 1st Floor Town Hall
Bolton
BL1 1RU
Education records
To access education records, you need to write to the headteacher of the school your child goes to or went to as the Council does not hold these records.
Contact information for schools in Bolton can be found on the School directory.
Response time
We will respond to you within one month of receiving your request although we can extend this to three months if your request is complex. You will be informed if we need to extend the response time.
Your request is not valid until we receive sufficient information and the relevant ID. We will contact you if we require further information.
Further guidance on making a request for personal information can be found on the ICO website.