MINEHEAD TOWN COUNCIL

Who We AreMinehead Town Council is the most local tier of government in Somerset. As well as providing services such as parks, play areas and other open spaces, we also run the Minehead Community Centre and Minehead Cemetery.
We take your privacy seriously, and this notice describes how we collect, store and use information you choose to share with us.
Respecting Your PrivacyWe are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. When you provide us with information, it will only be used in accordance with our Data Protection Policy and the relevant Privacy Notice.
About This PolicyIf you have any enquiries related to how we use your personal information or any particular aspects of our privacy policy, you can contact us in writing at:
Town ClerkMinehead Town Council3 Summerland RoadMineheadTA24 5BP
Email: ku.vog.licnuocnwotdaehenim%40ofni
We may change our privacy policy occasionally. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
The current version of this privacy policy is effective from 31 January 2026.
Information We Collect and ProcessThe amount and type of information we record and process depends upon your relationship with us. We provide a wide variety of services, including allotments, hires at the community centre, public meetings, Minehead Cemetery, small grants, responding to public enquiries and running events.
Each form where we collect personal information contains a specific privacy notice that explains why we are collecting your data and how long we will hold it.
We outline below the different circumstances in which we collect and process data:
● Contractual necessityWe collect and process personal information provided by people when they contact us to enquire about our services because it is necessary prior to entering into a contract with us.
● Public taskWe collect and process personal information to carry out tasks in the public interest, including running our cemetery service and issuing Dangerous Vegetation Notices.
● Recognised Legitimate Interests In line with the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, we may also process personal information for activities falling under recognised legitimate interests, such as safeguarding, crime prevention, emergency response, or cooperation with public task requests made by other authorities. These recognised interests do not require a balancing test but remain listed in our processing records.
We may also process personal information for our wider legitimate interests where appropriate, including:● Organisation of public events● Acting as a data processor to provide administrative support for community groups
● ConsentIn other cases, we will specifically ask for your consent to process your information at the time that we collect it.
Automated Decision MakingMinehead Town Council does not routinely make decisions based solely on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If we introduce such processes, we will ensure that you are informed at the point of data collection and that you are able to:
● understand the logic involved● make representations● request human intervention● challenge or appeal the decision
Sharing Information with Other Organisations and CompaniesWe will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your consent or are required by law to do so.
We do act as a data processor for a number of voluntary organisations, and they may choose to share personal information with us to enable us to provide them with administrative support.
Use of Our WebsiteThe following aspects of your privacy relate specifically to use of our website:www.mineheadtowncouncil.gov.uk
Contact Us FormIf you submit an enquiry via our website, you are asked to provide your name and email address. This information is stored within a database used to run the website and is deleted once your enquiry with us has been concluded.
CookiesOur website uses cookies for the following purposes:● Tailoring the website to you as an individual by remembering your preferences.● Monitoring website traffic and identifying which pages are being used.● Understanding demographic and interest information through anonymised aggregated data.
We use third party cookies from Google to enable us to use Google Analytics. Google acts as a data processor for us and may store the information collected by the cookie on servers outside the UK. Google participates in recognised international transfer frameworks where applicable.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Google advertising is not used on the Town Council website, and data from the Town Council website is never passed on to advertisers. If you prefer that Google does not gather any analytics data, we encourage you to use Google Analytics’ opt out tools.
Website ProviderOur website is provided by a UK based supplier. They act as a data processor, and appropriate contractual and security safeguards are in place.
Links to Other WebsitesOur website may contain links to other websites of interest. Once you leave our site, we do not have control over external websites and are not responsible for the protection and privacy of any information you provide while visiting those sites. You should review the privacy policy of the site in question.
Controlling Your Personal InformationWhenever you provide us with personal information, we will use the details only in reference to that specific enquiry or transaction.
Information Requests You have the right to request a copy of any personal information we hold about you. We will respond within one calendar month, with the option of a two month extension where requests are complex.
Requests are generally free of charge; however, we may charge where requests are clearly unfounded, excessive or repetitive.
If you would like a copy of the information we hold about you, contact us by post or email (details at the start of this policy).
Retention of InformationThe length of time for which we retain your information depends on the purpose of processing. Individual retention schedules appear on the corresponding forms so that you can view them at the point you provide information.
Your Right to be ForgottenYou have the right to request erasure of your personal data (“the right to be forgotten”). This right does not apply in all cases, such as when data is processed for a public task.
You may request erasure verbally or in writing, and we will respond within one month.
Accuracy of InformationWe want to keep your information up to date. If you believe that any information we have about you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible. We will promptly correct any information found to be inaccurate.
SecurityWe are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect and process, both online and in person.
If—despite our measures—we detect a security breach, we will assess the potential impact on personal data and take appropriate action.
Complaints If we are unable to resolve any concerns relating to your privacy to your satisfaction, you may refer to the Council’s Complaints Policy on our website.
From June 2026, we also maintain a formal data protection complaints handling process as required under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. You may raise a complaint with us directly using the contact details above. If you remain dissatisfied, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Changes to This Privacy PolicyWe keep this Privacy Policy under regular review to ensure it remains accurate, up to date, and compliant with current data protection law. Any changes we make will be published on this page, and significant updates may also be communicated through our usual channels.
Last Updated: March 2026