Torfaen SPF Evaluation
Torfaen County Borough Council (TCBC) has commissioned Miller Research to undertake an evaluation of their SPF funded projects. This aim of the evaluation is to understand the outcomes and impacts associated with the projects, as well as the appropriateness of the project design.
As part of this, Miller Research will be gathering information through:
- stakeholder interviews
- project team interviews
- beneficiary interviews
- an online survey of beneficiaries
TCBC is the data controller for the research. However, Miller Research will delete any personal data provided through the survey and interviews, and anonymise the raw data, before it is shared with the Council.
The information collected during the project will be included in a report published for the use of TCBC.
When conducting surveys, Miller Research use a survey software programme called Microsoft Forms. We have ensured that Microsoft Forms is UK GDPR compliant and meets our expectations in terms of the security of any data collected via the software (e.g. all data is processed within the EEA).
Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary. However, your views and experiences are important to help inform Council priorities.
PRIVACY NOTICE
What personal data do we hold and where do we get this information? – Survey Participants
Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.
Your participation in the online survey is voluntary and if you do not wish to take part, your details will be deleted from the database held by Miller Research. Miller Research will only use your personal information for the purposes of this research.
The online survey will be shared via a website link distributed through existing TCBC networks. It includes some questions that may ask for additional personal information. These include questions about:
- Your name
- Your organisation(s)
If you choose to provide any further personal data as part of the research, we will not try to identify you from, or link your identity to, the responses you provide. If you raise a query or complaint and provide personal data requesting a response, the researcher will forward the request only to the relevant official and subsequently delete it from the research data.
What personal data do we hold and where do we get this information? – Interview Participants
Personal data is defined under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified by reference to an identifier’.
Miller Research in collaboration with TCBC have identified you as being of interest to contribute to an interview. TCBC have emailed you to ask for your permission for your name and email address to be shared with Miller Research. Your contact details are held by Torfaen Council because of your engagement with one of the SPF funded projects.
Miller Research will only use your name and email address for the purposes of this research project.
Taking part in an interview does not require you to provide any additional personal information other than your image if you agree to an interview being video recorded.
We may need to record the interview for operational reasons. If this is the case, we will make this clear to you before the interview begins, and you will have the opportunity to tell us if you are not happy for the discussion to be recorded. If the interview is recorded, personal data will be removed during the process of transcribing. Recordings will be deleted once this process is completed. If the discussion is not recorded, personal data will not be included in written notes prepared during or following the discussion.
What is the lawful basis for using your data?
The lawful basis for processing information in this data collection exercise is for statistical or research purposes.
Participation is completely voluntary. Research studies such as this are important for Torfaen Council to collect information and actionable evidence about its ability to deliver local government priorities.
How secure is your personal data?
All personal information will be held electronically. Personal information provided to Miller Research is always stored on a secure server. The data can only be accessed by a limited number of researchers working on this project. Miller Research will only use this data for research purposes. Miller Research have Cyber Essentials certification.
Miller Research have procedures to deal with any suspected data security breaches. If a suspected breach occurs, Miller Research will report this to Torfaen Council who will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.
All data gathered through this research will be reported in an anonymised format. It will not contain your contact details and any identifiable information and open-ended answers will be removed. Miller Research will use the information gathered to produce a report for Torfaen Council.
Miller Research will also incorporate information in a separate GDPR compliant database (including contact details) that Torfaen Council can utilise for future communication with participants who wish to remain informed of the project.
How long do we keep your personal data?
Miller Research will hold personal data during the contract period and any personal data will be deleted by Miller Research three months after the end of the contract. This includes your contact details.
Miller Research will provide Torfaen Council with an anonymised report of the data which will not include information that could identify you.
If you choose to do so, Torfaen Council will store your personal data in order to provide you with E-communications material. This will only take place if you have opted in during the undertaking of the survey.
Individual rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to the personal information you provide as part of this evaluation, you have the right:
- To access a copy of your own data;
- For us to rectify inaccuracies in that data;
- To object to or restrict processing (in certain circumstances);
- For your data to be ‘erased’ (in certain circumstances); and
- To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.
The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Phone: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113. Website: www.ico.org.uk
Further Information
If you have any further questions about how the data provided as part of this study will be used by Torfaen Council or wish to exercise your rights using the UK General Data Protection Regulation, please contact:
Name: Katie Lloyd
E-mail address: katie@miller-research.co.uk
Telephone number:
Torfaen’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at:
Torfaen County Borough Council, Civic Centre, Pontypool, NP4 6YB,
Email: DPA@torfaen.gov.uk