Data protection
How to complain about how we use your personal data
Section 103 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA 2025) introduced a statutory right for data subjects to complain to data controllers about potential infringements of the UK GDPR or Part 3 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
If you are concerned about how your personal data has been processed by us or you consider that your data has been breached by us (including if it was lost, shared or misused), you can submit a complaint to the council’s Data Protection team (contact below).
Include full details of your concern and provide details to help us identify you and your data including account and/or reference numbers.
We will not usually investigate concerns where there has been an undue delay in bringing the matter to our attention. You should raise your concerns with us within three months of your last meaningful contact with the us.
Your complaint will usually be considered by an officer in the Information Governance team. The information governance officer will:
- log your complaint and acknowledge receipt within 30 days
- undertake any necessary investigations and respond directly to you without undue delay, usually within one calendar month of acknowledgement; where it is not possible to meet the calendar month deadline, you will be contacted and provided with an alternative timescale
In the case of a serious complaint, the information governance officer may refer the complaint to the council’s data protection officer to consider, following the same process.
If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you may raise the matter with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK regulatory body for data protection matters. Read about how the ICO handles data protection complaints.
Complaints related to service delivery
If your data complaint contains issues related to service delivery, it will be dealt with under the two stages of the corporate complaints procedure or the statutory social care complaints procedure, depending on the service complained about. For more information on Luton Council complaints, see the Comments, compliments and complaints webpage.
How to make a complaint
Tell us:
- what your concern is
- enough details to help us find your information, such as account or reference numbers
Email: dataprotection@luton.gov.uk