Do individual town and parish councillors need to register under the Data Protection Act?

Question

It has been suggested that individual councillors need to register under the DPA at a cost of £35 per annum plus the time and effort expended.  This seems huge overkill given that many parish councils could finish up spending as much on DPA fees as on services to their communities.

What are the critical points that will ensure that a councillor can lawfully avoid the need for registration?

Answer 1

Provided that the Parish or Town Council is registered and that the data being used by the councillors is only for local government use, then  as elected local government members and in conjunction with the clerk that  the data is only used for that purpose then individual councillors do not have to register. If the data is being used for a purpose for which the local council has a power then there is no need for individuals to register.