Under data protection law you have a right to request copies of any information which the Council may hold about you and how your personal information is processed. This called a subject access request.
When you make a subject access request, we will ask you
- What kind of information you are looking for?
- What services you think may hold information about you.
- Proof of your identity.
Request information about someone else
If you are making a request behalf of someone else you will need to be one of the following:
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Someone with the parental rights for a child under the age of 12 years. If your child is over 12 years you will need to have their consent to make the request on their behalf.
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A solicitor acting on behalf of someone when they have their legal consent.
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Someone with the Power of Attorney or Guardianship for another person who doesn't have the capacity to make their own decisions.
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Someone acting on behalf of another with signed consent from the data subject.
If you are making a request on behalf of someone else, you cannot use this online form. Instead download the documentation below and return them to us.
Download the personal data authorisation form (PDF - 243.05 KB)
Acceptable forms of ID
The forms of ID that we accept include copies of
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photographic ID such as your passport or driving license
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a utility bill, bank statement, council tax letter, or letter from a government agency
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birth certificate
What happens next
We would usually look to respond to requests within one month. But, if your request is large and detailed then it can take up to three months. Any large volume of documents or frequent instances of other parties appearing in the documents about you will be considered this way.
If we need any more information from you to process your request we will contact you.
We always want to make sure that we are communicating with you in the way that you want. Please let us know if you wish for us to correspond with you either by letter, by email or by telephone.
Currently, because of an unprecedented demand on our services there have been instances where we have not been able to respond to requests on time. We are very sorry about this, and are working very hard to improve and remedy this situation.
If you are submitting a subject access request to support an application to Redress Scotland, please let us know when you are submitting your request to us.
Contact us
0131 200 2340 or email informationRights@edinburgh.gov.uk