Questions about town and parish councils
Follow Councillor Q&A on X/Twitter

Follow us on X/Twitter

0 votes
Further to the earlier discussions in this thread - can anyone tell me whether as Parish Councillors we can be forced to have a separate PC email address - for which there is a facility through our PC website host.
Many of us on our PC have requested that our own personal email addresses are not publicised although we all have a telephone number publicised on the PC website.
There has recently been a contentious issue in our village which has resulted in some residents sharing the private email addresses of Councillors and emailing them on their personal email addresses. In my, and others, view formal contact with Councillors on council matters should be through the clerk.
There is now a move for us all be issued with a PC email address - with no personal choice in this matter. Can this be forced on us?
What would happen in the respect of Councillors who do not use email?
Thank you for any responses.
related to an answer for: PC E MAIL ADDRESSES
by (430 points)

3 Answers

+1 vote
There is no legal requirement to move to Councillor email addresses, it would need to be discussed at a council meeting and decided upon but it is highly recommended because it keeps them separate from your personal email.  Also if the Council receives an FOI request and Councillors are using personal emails they are included and in some cases the ICO has permission to go through them so it is much better to have a separate Councillor address.
by (3.8k points)
+1 vote
It can't be forced on you - but using your own personal E Mail address could make compliance with GDPR 2018 difficult.  The Council have to comply with that regulation and you and your E mail are then part of the Council. If you get E mails from paritioners, then you are handling personal data in most cases and you have obligations as to how you manage it and keep it secure.  With a separate council E mail, that obligation would fall mainly on the council data controller.  When using your personal E mail you then assume a data controller role and that makes it very difficult to know how well the Council is complying.
by (34.9k points)
edited by
0 votes
Thank you both
by (430 points)

Welcome to Town & Parish Councillor Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community. All genuine questions and answers are welcome. Follow us on Twitter to see the latest questions as they are asked - click on the image button above or follow @TownCouncilQA. Posts from new members may be delayed as we are unfortunately obliged to check each one for spam. Spammers will be blacklisted.

You may find the following links useful:

We have a privacy policy and a cookie policy.

Clares Cushions logo Peacock cushion

Clare's Cushions creates beautiful hand made cushions and home accessories from gorgeous comtemporary fabrics. We have a fantastic selection of prints including Sophie Allport and Orla Kiely designs and most covers can be ordered either alone or with a cushion inner. Buying new cushions is an affordable and effective way to update your home interior, they're also a great gift idea. Visit our site now

2,894 questions
5,615 answers
7,948 comments
10,027 users
Google Analytics Alternative