Who we are and what we do
We carry out the work of Staffordshire County Council in its role as the County Planning Authority.
Our work includes:
- Making decisions and providing advice on planning applications related to minerals and waste development, and development by the county council
- Making minerals and waste planning policies
- Working with the Staffordshire borough / district councils and neighbouring councils on planning related matters
- Responding to planning related consultations
- Entering legal agreements and contesting appeals in connection with the work we do
More information is available on our planning pages.
How we obtain information
We receive information with planning applications and when updating our policies in different ways:
- It may be sent to us directly, through a planning agent, or via the Planning Portal.
- We also get information and responses from other parts of the County Council, such as Highways Development Control and Environmental Advice Teams. External parties also provide comments and data, including the public, local residents, borough and district councils, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and the Environment Agency.
- Most information comes by email, on paper, through our online Citizen Portal (provided by Agile Applications Ltd), or via online policy comment forms. Sometimes we receive comments in person, by phone, or in photos, videos, or audio recordings.
What we do with information
To help us decide on planning applications, review comments, respond to consultations, and create planning policies, we need to collect and keep some personal details (like your name, address, and contact information).
We usually do not need “special category data” (such as medical history, political views, union membership, or ethnic background).
We cannot accept anonymous, private, or confidential comments.
We use the information provided to us to advise on and make decisions about the use of land in the public interest. This is known as a “public task” and is why we do not need you to “opt in” to allow your information to be used.
Staffordshire Borough and District Councils must, by law under the Town and Country Planning Act, make some of the information you give us available on a planning register. This register is a permanent record of planning decisions and forms part of a site’s planning history.
We also keep our own planning register and publish decisions online through our Citizen Portal (provided by Agile Applications Ltd). As explained below, we share this information with the Borough and District Councils.
How we share information
We share information with Agile Applications Ltd who provide our back office planning system and online Citizen Portal. We (and Agile Applications Ltd) do not sell the information we hold to other organisations. We (and Agile Applications Ltd) do not move your information beyond the UK. We (and Agile Applications Ltd) do not use the information for marketing purposes or to make automated decisions.
We share information on planning applications with the relevant Staffordshire Borough / District Council who, as explained above, have the statutory responsibility to maintain the planning register for their area.
We publish details of planning applications and draft planning policies online so people and organisations can comment. We often need to share this information. For example, we share it with other parts of the County Council, the public, statutory and non-statutory consultees, and the Planning Inspectorate if a decision is appealed.
This is required by law under the Town and Country Planning Act and related regulations. Anyone who receives this information must manage it fairly, correctly, and safely in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
We may also send out a follow-up “how did we do?” survey to a sample of people using our services to see how we can improve them.
Redaction (‘blanking things out’)
We now operate a policy where we routinely redact the following details before making forms and documents available online:
- Personal contact details for the applicant / agent e.g. telephone numbers, email addresses
- Signatures
- Special Category Data - e.g. supporting statements that include information about medical history, political persuasion or union membership or ethnic origin
- Information agreed to be confidential
Sometimes we may decide it is necessary, justified and lawful to disclose data that appears in the list above. In these circumstances we will let you know of our intention before we publish anything.
We do not remove information from original application forms or documents. These can be read and copied by anyone at our offices, including the public and the press. Copyright rules and photocopying charges may apply.
If you want any information to be kept confidential or removed from the public register, please tell us as soon as possible, ideally before you submit your application or comments. The best way to contact us about this is by email.
Retention (‘how long we keep information for’)
We process many different types of information according to our retention policy. This is a summary of how long we must keep things before they may be destroyed:
- Planning register (e.g. planning decisions, approved plans and legal agreements) – forever
- Supporting documents, reports – 6 years for committee decisions, 4 years for officer decisions
- Representations, letters, general correspondence – 4 years
More information is available in our records retention schedules.
Complaints and more information
Making planning decisions is a public duty, so you cannot withdraw consent. However, if you think something is wrong or prefer certain information not to be disclosed, please email us.
For general questions about our privacy policy, the information we hold, or to make a complaint about privacy or misuse of personal data, please email our Data Protection Officer.
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not handling your data lawfully, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).