Performance and Governance Team

The Performance and Governance Team is responsible for Complaints, Performance Reporting, Equalities and Information Governance, including data protection and freedom of information requests.

Performance and Governance is responsible for the process by which the Council investigates and answers complaints about its services.  The process is based on Local Government Ombudsman requirements, has two stages and takes about seven weeks.

Complaints about Councillors are dealt with by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Monitoring Officer under a separate procedure.  More detail about both procedures is available in our ‘Make a complaint‘ page.

Performance and Governance delivers to the Cabinet quarterly summaries on Council services’ key performance indicators, which are set annually.  Past summaries are set out in the published  Finance and Governance and Cabinet meeting packs, and details of forthcoming performance summaries are set out in the Forward Plan.

The Council attracts the public sector equality duty.  This requires us to work to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons with and without protected characteristics in the Council’s daily functions in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

We comply with the duty by maintaining an Equality Policy and preparing and publishing Equalities objectives supported by an action plan.  Both documents are in the process of being updated following the release of the 2021 Census data.  This shows Tunbridge Wells to have a slightly older and more diverse population than in 2011, without deprivation in most households.

More information on the duty and the census is available in the GOV.UK ‘Public sector equality duty‘ page.

More information on Tunbridge Wells’ 2021 census findings is available on the Office for National Statistics ‘Tunbridge Wells‘ page.

In order to deliver its services, the Council must process personal data: information which enables an individual or individuals to be identified.  In so doing, it must comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Data Controller.

As a Councillor, you will have multiple roles likely to include:

• Representing residents of your ward as an advocate: for instance, settling neighbour disputes
• Representing a political party (during an election, for example) and
• Acting as a member of the Council, for example, as a cabinet member or member of a committee.

When you act as a Councillor on Council business, the personal data you handle will normally be covered under the Council’s ICO Data Controller registration. Please read the Council’s Data Protection Policy and suite of documents to ensure all personal data is processed in line with it: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Data Protection Policy and the data protection principles.

With respect to your constituent work, however, residents you are regarded as a data controller in your own right.  You will need to ensure that you are registered as a Data Controller with the ICO.  With respect to personal data used in the course of political campaigning, the political party will normally be registered with the ICO as Data Controller – check with your party to be sure.  More information is available on the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The Performance and Governance Team is available to advise on any data protection questions that arise in your term.  The team also:

• Responds to requests from individuals for their personal data, and
• From organisations (for example the NHS or Kent Police) for individuals’ personal data
• Advises on data sharing and processing agreements
• Drafts privacy notices
• Keeps a record of the Council’s personal data processing activities
• Carries out Data Processing Impact Assessments, which risk-assess new data streams and processing methods prior to their introduction by Council services
• Liaises with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and

Manages data breaches in accordance with applicable statute.

The public’s right to know is a well-established principle.  Individuals have the right to request recorded information from the Council held by public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as well as requests for environmental information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, and the P&G Team answers these requests.  More information on accessing public information is available on the ICO ‘How to access information from a public authority‘ page.

Should you have any issues, please contact a member of the Performance and Governance Team here:

• complaints@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
• dataprotection@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
• foi@tunbridgewells.gov.uk