Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice for Job Applicants – Wyre Forest District Council Recruitment Privacy Policy

We are fully committed to complying with Data Protection Act 2018 legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which regulates how we process personal information. Here we explain how we collect and use personal data during the recruitment process and subsequently, if you become an employee, tells you about your rights and gives contact details for help and advice. 

1. Who we are

Wyre Forest District Council is the data controller for the personal information you provide during the recruitment process.

We use a recruitment platform called Tribepad, provided under a partnership with West Midlands Employers (WME), who manage the contract as part of the WMTalent Acquisition Service.

  • Tribepad Ltd is our data processor, acting only on our instructions.
  • West Midlands Employers (WME) is a separate data controller. WME does not decide how your application is handled but may access limited data in order to administer the service (see section 5 below).

2. What personal data we collect

We collect and process the following categories of data:

Personal data:

  • Name, address, contact details
  • Work history, qualifications, experience
  • Responses to application questions
  • Interview notes or assessments
  • Referee details
  • Proof of right to work
  • Pre-employment screening (e.g., references, DBS, occupational health)
  • Pay details, national insurance number, tax coding and details of the bank or building society account 

Special category data (voluntary):

  • Race or ethnic origin
  • Religious or philosophical beliefs
  • Sexual orientation or gender identity
  • Disability status or health information
  • Age and gender

This data is only used for monitoring purposes or where necessary for reasonable adjustments or legal obligations.

3. How we collect your data

Data is collected:

  • Directly from you via your application form
  • From referees or third parties (e.g., occupational health, DBS, background screening)
  • Through assessments, interviews, and online systems
  • From pre-employment documentation (ID, qualifications)

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in electronic HR Management Systems and on other IT systems (including email). 

4. Legal basis for processing

We rely on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018:

  • Article 6(1)(b) – necessary to take steps prior to entering a contract
  • Article 6(1)(c) – legal obligation (e.g., right to work, equality monitoring)
  • Article 6(1)(e) – public task (for public sector employers)

Where we process special category data, we rely on:

  • Article 9(2)(b) – employment and social protection law
  • Article 9(2)(g) – reasons of substantial public interest (equality of opportunity)

We do not rely on consent for processing your data during recruitment.

5. Who has access to your data?

Your data is accessed only by those involved in the recruitment process, including:

  • Recruitment and HR staff at Wyre Forest District Council
  • Hiring managers involved in selection
  • Tribepad Ltd, who host and manage the applicant tracking system
  • West Midlands Employers (WME), who:
    • Provide technical support to Wyre Forest District Council
    • Access limited candidate data (for troubleshooting or administration only)
    • Generate and share anonymised insight reports (no personal data is shared in these reports)

WME does not make recruitment decisions and cannot view or access your application without a legitimate support-related reason.

You can view WME’s privacy notice here, which includes a section about the WMTalent Acquisition Service.

6. Data sharing

We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing.

We may share your data with:

  • Referees you have listed
  • Occupational health providers
  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
  • Other background check services
  • Organisations we use to support with the recruitment process e.g. providers of psychometric tests
  • Our third-party payroll provider, to process salary and payroll information 
  • Legal or regulatory bodies where required by law

Any third parties are required to comply with UK data protection law.

7. How long we keep your data

If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your data for 12 months after the conclusion of the recruitment process or after your last login/update — whichever is later.

If you are successful, your data will be transferred to your employee record and retained according to our internal HR retention policy.

Anonymised recruitment data may be retained beyond 12 months for reporting purposes but will not identify individuals.

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

  • Be informed about how your data is used
  • Access your data
  • Correct inaccurate information
  • Request deletion (in certain circumstances)
  • Restrict or object to processing
  • Request data portability (where applicable)

For full details on your rights, see https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters

To exercise your rights, please contact:

Wyre Forest District Council

Wyre Forest House

Finepoint Way

Kidderminster

Worcestershire

DY11 7WF
 

Our Data Protection Officer is

Mark Tipper, Wyre Forest District Council

dataprotection@wyreforestdc.gov.uk

 

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office: www.ico.org.uk

9. Automated decision-making

We do not use your personal data to make automated decisions.

10. Updates to this privacy notice

We may update this notice to reflect changes in law or process. The most recent version will always be available on our recruitment page.