Privacy policy
Who we are
www.ourplace.scot is managed by the Scottish Government on behalf of the Place Standard partners.
This privacy policy tells you what to expect when the Scottish Government collects your personal information.
Why do we collect personal data?
The OurPlace website provides information and resources about place-based working to help support better health and wellbeing outcomes for the population and to protect and enhance the environment. The site supports the statutory functions of the planning system and community planning outcomes which are in the public interest.
This means that the legal basis for collecting and using personal data will be that the information is needed for performing a task carried out in the public interest – under the GDPR this is known as Public Task. Examples are supporting local development planning, local place planning, and providing information on community right to buy land.
What data do we collect?
1. Visitors to our websites
We use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect information on how you use the site, using cookies and page tagging techniques.
You can read more about how we use cookies, and how to change your cookies preferences, on our Cookies policy page.
The information we - and Google - collect through this route doesn't identify anyone, and is kept for a maximum of 38 months. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through the site, we will be up front about it.
2. Email contact
If you choose to contact us at placestandard@gov.scot then we collect and retain your email address and any other information that you choose to include in your email. This information is only kept for as long as we require it. If you contact us asking for information, we need to contact other government bodies to find that information.
In the case of personal data processed as part of the general OurPlace website content, this data will be kept only as long as the website page is online and relevant.
We do not share your email address or personal data on the OurPlace website unless you have provided permission for this. If you are contributing content which will be uploaded to OurPlace which includes your personal data then we will discuss this with you and make sure that you approve of the way in which your data is used. Your personal information is only kept for as long as is required to support the active content population on the website.
3. Place Standard online tool
We retain the numerical scores and any text comments that are entered by users when they complete a Place Standard assessment using the online tool.
We retain the details that are entered on the Getting Started page of the site. We do not store full postcodes – the last digit of any postcode entered on the site is removed automatically and is not stored on the database. This means that you cannot be identified by us or anyone else by completing a Place Standard online assessment. The Place Standard online tool seeks your views on the quality of a place anonymously, so when entering any text in comment boxes we ask that you do not add information that could identify you to others.
If you register as a Group Owner we retain the email address details and password that you enter, provided that you verify your account and log in for the first time within 3 months of registering the account. You will be sent an automated email with the link to enable you to verify and activate your account – you may have to check your spam folder to find it. Once you have completed this initial login in your details will continue to be retained for as long as you have an active account with the service. If you do not login within 3 months the account will be automatically deleted and you will have to register again.
We use Postmark to provide automated validation and password retrieval. Postmark’s GDPR Compliance statement outlines how they collect, use, share and process personal information. We may occasionally require Group Owners to reset their password in order to keep details up-to-date and accurate.
Group Owner accounts that are inactive (i.e. there has been no login for 24 months) will be automatically deleted along with any and all data associated with the account, including the email address and associated Assessment data. All Group Assessment data held by us on behalf of the online tool Group Owner accounts will be retained only for as long as that account is open and in active use. We therefore recommend that you ensure you routinely download and save your valuable Group Assessment results in order to store them securely.
What do we do with your personal information?
We gather data to:
- improve the site by monitoring how you use it
- respond to any feedback you send us, if you've asked us to
- record your response to an assessment survey or consultation
- request feedback on the functioning of the website to inform future improvements
- enable you to open and administer your Place Standard Group Owner online tool accounts.
The personal data you send us can be viewed by authorised people in the Scottish Government and supplier organisations. Providing your personal data is voluntary. If you choose not to provide personal data you will not be able to register as a Group Owner for the Place Standard tool, but you will be able to access all of the other content on the OurPlace site.
Who is responsible for ourplace.scot?
The Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Directorate within the Scottish Government manage the website on behalf of the Place Standard partners. The Place Standard partners are Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, Architecture & Design Scotland, the Improvement Service and Glasgow City Council.
The content on the website and the placestandard@gov.scot mailbox are controlled by the Scottish Government. The wider Place Standard partners act in an advisory capacity on ourplace.scot.
The servers and databases are maintained by Scottish Government's contracted IT providers.
Links to other websites
When we link to other websites, we encourage you to read the privacy policy statements contained on those sites.
How to find out more about the privacy policy
We aim to resolve any enquiries or concerns that our users may have about the processing of their personal data whilst using ourplace.scot. For any enquiry or concern about this privacy policy, please contact us at placestandard@gov.scot in the first instance.
How can you access your personal data?
You have the right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data.
You have a right of access to any personal data we hold about you, by making a Subject Access Request (SAR).
You also have the right of
Rectification - the UK GDPR includes a right for individuals to have inaccurate personal data rectified, or completed if it is incomplete. If you believe that the data we hold is inaccurate or incomplete you can ask us to update our records
Restriction of processing - you have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances. If you are unhappy with the way in which we process your personal data you can request that we restrict processing your personal data.
Object to processing - if you are unhappy with the way in which we process your personal data you can request that we stop processing your personal data or ask us to delete the personal data we hold about you.
Find out more about your rights on the Information Commissioner's site.
In some circumstances we may not be able to comply with your request. This is because some of these rights are conditional and can only be applied in certain circumstances and/or where there is no compelling reason to continue to process your personal data.
Contact
Data Protection Officer
Victoria Quay
Commercial Street
Edinburgh EH6 6QQ
Email: DataProtectionOfficer@gov.scot
Complaints
If you feel we have been unable, or unwilling, to resolve your information rights concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO are the supervisory authority responsible for data protection in the UK.
For further information, including independent data protection advice and information in relation to your rights, you can contact the Information Commissioner at:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 08456 30 60 60
Website: www.ico.org.uk