Research Privacy Statement

Important Information

This page describes the specific processing of personal data which Glasgow City Council carries out in relation to research and statistics.  For a more general description of how the council processes personal data, how to contact us and how to exercise your rights under data protection legislation please click here.

The Council undertakes significant amounts of research internally where we analyse the data we hold in order to measure our performance (and/or the performance of our contractors or partner organisations).  We also allow external organisations and academic researchers access to information to allow them to undertake research. In each case we carefully assess the request to access our data and assess the request against our Information Use and Privacy Policy. 

If access is granted we ensure that agreements are put in place with the researchers covering security and use of the information, and we only pass the minimum information to allow the research to be carried out.  This generally means we will not disclose personal identifiers such as name or address, but in many cases there is still sufficient information to create the possibility that someone could be identified from the data released.  We therefore approach the release of this information as though the information contained personal identifiers and put safeguards around the disclosure appropriate to the release of personal data.

Some of the research we are undertaking or involved in requires active participation.  In these cases those involved in the research will have been contacted directly to seek their consent both to involvement in the research and to the exchanges of information associated with the research.  People involved in such research are free to withdraw consent at any time without any effect on any other services they are receiving from the council.

However, much research is population-based and seeking consent would fatally undermine the research methodology.  In these cases we do not seek consent.  Details of the research will be publicised on this part of the Council's website and where possible an express reference to the research will be included in communications issued by the Council to those affected - so for example research involving council tax data will be flagged up on the Council Tax bills sent out each year.

You have the right to object to the council processing your personal data, including objecting to processing for research purposes.  Click here for details of how to exercise this right.

Research and statistical processing is carried out by the council in accordance with Article 89 of the General Data Protection Regulation and section 18 of the Data Protection Act 2018, and is done in terms of the council's powers under section 87 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

More detailed descriptions of who research data is shared with, how long it is kept for and whether any personal data is transferred to any other countries can be found in the specific descriptions of the research projects currently underway.