Privacy

Birmingham City Council Privacy Information for Be Heard 

Birmingham City Council (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy when you take part in consultations, engagement activities or surveys on Be Heard, our online engagement platform powered by Delib’s Citizen Space software.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and protect your information when you interact with Be Heard.

 

1. Who we are

Birmingham City Council is the data controller for all consultation and engagement activities hosted on Be Heard.

 
Our Data Controller registration number with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is Z4594350. 

Delib (the provider of Citizen Space) acts as our data processor, providing the technical platform and processing data only under our instructions. Delib does not access your personal data unless requested by the Council for support or maintenance purposes.

 

2. What personal data we collect

The information collected will depend on the activity you are taking part in, and may include:

a. Information you provide directly

  • Consultation responses
  • Contact information (e.g. email address) where needed
  • Demographic/equality monitoring information (e.g. age, race, sex, sexual orientation)
  • Optional comments or free‑text responses

b. Information collected automatically

Depending on platform configuration, this may include technical data such as:

  • Browser type and device details
  • Pages visited and time spent on the site
  • IP addresses

This data helps us improve accessibility and site performance.

3. Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data under:

  • Public task: to carry out our statutory and public functions
  • Legal obligation: where required by law (e.g., Equality Act 2010 monitoring)
  • Consent: where you provide optional demographic information or choose to supply contact details

Where special category data (such as ethnicity or sexual orientation) is collected, the lawful basis is:

  • UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – substantial public interest
  • Equality Act 2010 duties to monitor participation and representation

 

4. How we use your information

We use the information you provide to:

  • Analyse consultation responses
  • Understand views, needs and experiences of different communities
  • Monitor representation and identify gaps in engagement
  • Inform decision‑making across services
  • Improve how we engage with residents

Your consultation responses may be summarised in reports. 
We will not publish or share your identity or any information that identifies you.

 

5. Equality and diversity information

When you provide demographic or equality information:

  • It is used only in aggregated or anonymised form
  • You do not have to answer these questions
  • It will not be used to identify you
  • It supports our legal duties under the Equality Act 2010

(This aligns with the purpose described in your existing page and new suggested text.)

 

6. Sharing your information

We may share your responses with:

  • Internal service areas within Birmingham City Council
  • Elected councillors involved in the relevant decision‑making processes
  • External research partners or contractors acting on our behalf

Any sharing is strictly controlled and always complies with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. 

Delib will not access your personal information unless we instruct them to for platform support. 

We do not sell your data.

 

7. Cookies and analytics

Be Heard uses cookies necessary for the basic functioning of the site. 
The platform may use analytics tools to help us understand:

  • how people navigate the site
  • what devices are used
  • which pages are most viewed

Analytics collect data about browsers and device characteristics to help improve the service, but not to identify individuals. 

Full details are available in the Council’s Privacy Statement: Overview | Privacy statement | Birmingham City Council

8. How long we keep your information

We retain consultation and engagement data only for as long as is necessary to:

  • complete the consultation process
  • evidence the decision‑making that follows
  • meet our legal and audit obligations 

Retention periods align with the Council’s Corporate Retention Schedule and are reviewed regularly. 

9. How we protect your data

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including:

  • Secure hosting environment
  • Access controls and permissions
  • Encryption in transit
  • Regular auditing and monitoring

Delib’s platform is designed to comply with UK privacy, security, and accessibility requirements. 

10. Your data rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Request correction
  • Request deletion (where lawful)
  • Object to processing
  • Restrict processing
  • Request data portability (where applicable)

More details about your rights are available in the Council’s Privacy Statement: [Overview | Privacy statement | Birmingham City Council

To exercise your rights, contact: 
Corporate Information Governance Unit 
Email: infogovernance@birmingham.gov.uk

 

 

Delib Privacy Information

Delib's software (this website) enables organisations to set up and operate activities, through which they can engage with you.

This site is managed by the controlling organisation, Birmingham City Council. When you access and use this site, the personal information you have submitted to these activities will go to the organisation. Delib will not access your personal information unless requested to do so by the organisation, and only for the purposes of assisting them with the administration of this site.

Accessing your Personal Information

If you have any questions or requests about your personal information, for example to request a copy of it, or to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong, please contact the organisation (as stated in their Privacy Notice / Privacy Statement / Privacy Policy). It is the controlling organisation's responsibility to answer any questions or requests about your personal information.

Collection of Browser Information

The information provided by your computer when you use this website is collected by Delib. For example, your browser type, IP address, language preference, referring site and the date and time. The purpose for collecting this information is to maintain the security of the website and for operating and improving the software.