Privacy notice - Travel Champions

North Somerset Council is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This privacy notice explains how we collect, store, and use your personal data when you join or update your details, and as you participate in the Travel Champions scheme. 

The data controller is North Somerset Council. North Somerset Council is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office for the purposes of processing personal data. 

The information you provide will be held and used in accordance with the requirements of UK data protection law.

If you have any questions or concerns about the way we process your personal data, you should contact North Somerset Council’s Data Protection Officer at DPO@n-somerset.gov.uk. You may also direct a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office. 

Data collected through the registration form

As part of your participation as a Travel Champion, we collect the following data: 

• email address (required) 
• name (required) 
• town/parish or postcode 
• age bracket 
• gender 

Our legal basis for collecting personal and special-category information

The legal basis for processing is consent. Consent will be sought before the information is collected and that the information will only be collected from the data subject directly.

Why we are collecting this information

We collect your name and email address as a minimum requirement to contact you and invite you to participate in relevant engagements and activities based on your interests. 

The rest of the information you provide is entirely voluntary and helps us determine how representative Travel Champions are of North Somerset’s population. This optional information allows us to involve a diverse group of participants.

How we use your data 

Your personal data will be used solely for the purposes of 

• inviting you to participate in engagements and activities 
• ensuring the scheme is representative of North Somerset’s population
• managing your involvement as a Travel Champion

This data will only be viewed by the scheme lead. Anonymised data, such as the number of Travel Champions and the representativeness of the group may be shared within the council and with service provision partners as part of reporting on the scheme.

How we will store your data

Your personal information will be securely stored in two ways:

Snap Survey software 

The council uses Snap Surveys Limited to manage and distribute the Travel Champions registration form. Your personal information will be stored in Snap for the purposes of recording the information you share with the council. 

For further details on how Snap handles and secures your data, please review Snap Privacy Notice at our Privacy Policy for SnapSurveys webpage.

Our secure server 

Your data will also be stored on our secured internal server and SharePoint system, which have restricted access. Only staff directly involved in managing Travel Champions and its operations will have access to this data. All systems are protected in line with data protection regulations and council security protocols. 

How should I treat information that is shared with me in Travel Champions engagements?

Engagements with Travel Champions, North Somerset Council officers and representatives from service providers will be covered by ‘Chatham House Rules’. This means that anyone who comes to a meeting is free to use information from the discussion, but is not allowed to reveal who made any particular comment. 

This rule is designed to increase openness of discussion. More information about how the Council will use feedback you share in engagements is below.

What information will be collected in Travel Champions engagements?

North Somerset Council will gather feedback from Travel Champions on the scheme, and on services, initiatives and other transport projects lead by the council.

Why are we collecting your feedback?

Getting regular feedback on sustainable transport services, initiatives and other council-led transport projects is a key purpose of the Travel Champions scheme. Collecting and reflecting on this feedback allows North Somerset Council and our public transport service operators  to constantly improve services, initiatives and other travel projects. For example, by informing bi-annual bus service changes.

Your feedback on the Champions scheme will allow us to shape the scheme to best achieve its goals of informing and promoting sustainable travel in North Somerset.

How will we use your feedback?

Feedback about the Travel Champions scheme will be used by the scheme lead to measure the success and impact of the scheme. Anonymised feedback on the scheme may be shared in formal and informal reports within the Council, and with our public transport service operators. 

Feedback on travel services, initiatives and projects will be used by North Somerset council to inform ongoing and future projects relating to transport. Anonymised feedback will be shared with transport teams within the council, and with our public transport service operators. 

Anonymised feedback on non-travel topics may also be shared with the relevant teams within the council to inform ongoing and upcoming projects and initiatives. 

Where a Travel Champion would like to be reported back to on their feedback, the scheme lead will ask permission to record their feedback with their personal data to allow this. The scheme lead will not share non-anonymised information outside of the team that manages the scheme.

How will you store my feedback? 

Personal information collected through Travel Champions engagements will be stored in North Somerset Council’s Secure Server (see 'How will you store my data?' above).

Can I opt out from participating being a Travel Champion? 

Yes, you can opt-out at any-time. You have the right to access, amend, or request the deletion of your personal information at any time. You can also choose to opt out of the panel whenever you wish. 

If you no longer wish to participate in the Travel Champions scheme, or if you would like to update or remove your details, please contact Champions@n-somerset.gov.uk.

Who will my data be shared with? 

No data that could identify you will be shared with or disclosed to any party outside of the local authority without your explicit consent. 

Some anonymised data will be shared with public transport service operators2 to support reporting on the scheme, and to inform the improvement of local transport services.

We may lawfully disclose information to public sector agencies to prevent or detect fraud or other crime, or to support the national fraud initiatives and protect public funds under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. Under the conditions of the Digital Economy Act 2017, we may also share personal data provided to us with other public authorities as defined in the Act, for the purposes of fraud or crime detection or prevention, to recover monies owed to us, to improve public service delivery, or for statistical research. We do not share the information with other organisations for commercial purposes.

Will my data be shared on social media or public forums or documents?

Your data will not be shared in any public forum without your explicit consent. North Somerset Council may ask to use quotations from you in social media, media releases, or other public forums or documents to promote the scheme or encourage sustainable travel behaviours. You are welcome to decline for your information to be used in any public facing forum or document.

How long will my data be stored for? 

Personal data will be retained for as long as an individual remains an active member of the Travel Champions scheme. This allows the council to engage with the participant for the purpose of ongoing research and engagement. 

Once a member opts out of the scheme, their personal data will be retained for a maximum of 6 months. After this period, the scheme lead will permanently and securely delete any personal information.

Research data that is anonymised (where no personal identifiers are retained) can be kept indefinitely for reporting, policy-making, and statistical purposes. Anonymised data does not include personal data, is no longer linked to an individual and can be used for long-term planning and analysis without privacy concerns. 

Personal data for active members will be reviewed every 3 years to ensure that records are up to date. Members will be contacted to confirm if they wish to remain on the panel, and unresponsive members will have their data removed after the retention period.

Will my data be used for automated decision-making or profiling? 

The information you provide is not connected with automated decision making (making a decision solely by automated means without any human involvement).

Will my data to be transferred outside of the UK? 

The data you provide will not be transferred outside the UK.

Can I see my data?

You have the right to see the personal data we process about you, as well as the right of objection, rectification, restriction and erasure in some circumstances. For details of how to make such a request, please visit: www.n-somerset.gov.uk/council-democracy/data-protection-freedom-information/data-protection/make-subject-access-request. 

If you have any questions or concerns about the way we process your personal data, our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@n-somerset.gov.uk.