Who we are
We are a local authority established under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. Our head office is located at Newtown St Boswells, Melrose TD6 0SA. You can contact us by:
- phone: 0300 100 1800
- email: PLACEhealth@scotborders.gov.uk
You can contact our Data Protection Officer by email dataprotection@scotborders.gov.uk
We will act as the Data Controller for the personal data you provide to us.
What information do we need?
The information we collect from you will include details such as your:
- name
- address
- email address
- phone number
- date and place of birth
- history of any previous animal licences held
In addition we also require details of any previous criminal convictions relating to animal welfare.
Why do we need this information?
Your information is required to enable us to process your application for an animal licence, if you do not provide this information then we will be unable to process your application.
The lawful basis for collecting your information in these circumstances is processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We will collect and use this information to fulfil its statutory duty under the following legislation:
- Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021
- Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963
- Riding Establishments Act 1964 & 1970
- Performing Animals Act 1925
- Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976
- Sale of Venison (Scotland) Act 1968
In relation to criminal offence information, this information will be processed for reasons of substantial public interest as it will enable us to fulfil the purposes of the legislation stated above.
What will we do with your information?
We will use your information to process your application for an animal licence. This will involve sharing your information with:
- Police Scotland
- Environmental Health
- Planning
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
- Veterinary Surgeons
Applications where valid objections or representations are made will be considered at meetings of the Civic Government Licensing Committee, which are open to the public however some business maybe held in private. We are also required to publish information in licensing registers, which will include your name, address and type of licence.
We may receive information about you from other relevant parties including other services, other Local Authorities or Police Scotland.
In general we do not transfer personal data outside either the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA) and on the rare occasions when we do we will inform you. We will only transfer data outside the UK and the EEA when we are satisfied that the party which will handle the data and the country it is processing it in will provide adequate safeguards for personal privacy.
How long will we keep your information?
We will keep your information for two years after your animal licence has lapsed as specified within our document retention schedules, and after this period it will be destroyed securely.
Automated decision making
We do not use automated decision-making processes. Some processes are semi-automated (such as anti-fraud data matching) but a human decision maker will always be involved before any decision is reached in relation to you.
Your Rights
You have the right to request access to any personal data held about you by us. You can also request that we restrict the use of your information or even object to any further processing. You can do this by contacting the Data Protection Officer. We will respond to your request within 30 calendar days.
For more information on your rights visit our website or if you would like a hard copy of this information, please contact us.
We aim to directly resolve all complaints about how we handle personal information. If your complaint is about how we have handled your personal information, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by email dataprotection@scotborders.gov.uk or by phone 0300 100 1800.
However, you also have the right to lodge a complaint about data protection matters with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), who can be contacted by:
- post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
- phone: 0303 123 1113
- website
If your complaint is not about a data protection matter you can find details on how to make a complaint.