School Street Permit Scheme Privacy Notice

This privacy notice explains how we use personal information when administering the School Street Permit Scheme. The scheme restricts vehicle access around participating schools at the start and end of the school day to improve road safety, reduce congestion, and support healthier travel choices. We process personal information to assess applications for exemption permits, determine eligibility, maintain accurate permit records, and ensure the scheme operates safely and effectively. This notice sets out what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it, and how we protect your privacy.

What information we collect, use, and why

To administer the School Street Permit Scheme, we collect only the minimum amount of personal information needed to assess your eligibility, issue a permit, and maintain accurate records of approved vehicles. We collect this information when you apply for an exemption permit and when you contact us by phone, email, or online.

We collect and use the following personal information:

Personal Data

Name, address, and contact details

To identify you, confirm that you live within a School Street zone, communicate with you about your application, and send updates relating to your permit.

Email address and telephone number

To contact you about your application and to request additional information where needed.

Proof of residence

To confirm that the exemption request relates to a residential address within a School Street zone.

Vehicle registration number

To determine eligibility for an exemption permit, issue a valid permit, and maintain a list of authorised vehicles authorised to access the restricted zone.
Once your application has been processed, only the vehicle registration number is retained for the duration of your permit or until the scheme ends.

Why we collect this information

We use your personal information to:

Assess your eligibility for an exemption permit
Issue and administer a School Street permit
Maintain accurate records of authorised vehicles for enforcement and scheme management
Contact you if further information is required
Ensure the scheme operates safely, lawfully, and effectively

We only use your information where it is relevant, necessary, and proportionate to deliver the School Street Permit Scheme.

Sources of Information

We primarily collect personal information directly from you when you apply for a School Street exemption permit. This includes information you provide through online forms, emails, telephone conversations, or in response to requests for further evidence.

To ensure the information you provide is accurate and to confirm your eligibility for a permit, we may also obtain information from:

Council address records or property databases:
To verify that the address provided is located within a designated School Street zone.
Vehicle registration documents provided by you:
To confirm that the vehicle is registered to your address and eligible for an exemption.

We do not collect information about you from any external organisations, private companies, or third parties for this scheme. Information is only obtained where it is necessary, relevant, and lawful to administer the School Street Permit Scheme.

What is your personal information used for?

We use your personal information to administer the School Street Permit Scheme and ensure it operates safely, effectively, and in line with our responsibilities. Specifically, your information is used to:

Assess your eligibility for an exemption permit based on your residential address and vehicle details.
Process your application and issue an exemption permit where you meet the criteria for the scheme.
Maintain an accurate record of authorised vehicles that are permitted to enter a School Street zone during restricted hours.
Verify information you have provided, where necessary, to prevent misuse of the scheme and protect the integrity of the restrictions.
Contact you if additional information is required, if there are changes to the scheme, or if issues arise with your permit.
Support the safe and lawful operation of the School Street zones, including assisting enforcement activities where required.
Respond to queries or complaints relating to your application or the operation of your permit.

We only use your personal information where it is relevant, necessary, and proportionate to deliver the School Street Permit Scheme and fulfil our statutory functions.

Who do we share your information with?

We only share your personal information when it is necessary, lawful, and proportionate to administer the School Street Permit Scheme.

Your information is shared with:

WSP (consultant company) – until March 2026

WSP supports us in processing applications for the School Street Permit Scheme. They receive your application information to assess eligibility and issue permits on our behalf. Access to your personal information is strictly limited to authorised WSP staff involved in processing your application.

From April 2026, all applications will be processed directly by us, and WSP will no longer have access to personal data for this scheme.

Internal Council teams

Once a permit has been issued, only the vehicle registration number is shared with the Council’s School Street team. This information is used to maintain an accurate list of authorised vehicles and to support the operation and enforcement of the scheme.

Legal requirements

We may share your personal information if required to do so by law, for example to support investigations, respond to lawful requests, or comply with statutory obligations.

We do not sell your information, and we do not share your personal data with any other external organisations for marketing or unrelated purposes.

All organisations receiving your information are required to handle it securely and in accordance with data protection legislation.

Data Processors

We use data processors to support the administration of the School Street Permit Scheme. Data processors act on our instructions, must comply with data protection legislation, and are required to keep your information secure.

WSP (until March 2026)

WSP supports us by processing School Street exemption permit applications on our behalf. This includes receiving application information, assessing eligibility, and issuing permits. WSP only has access to the personal information necessary to carry out this work, and access is restricted to authorised staff. From April 2026 onwards, WSP will no longer process any personal data for this scheme.

Council-approved IT and digital service providers

We may use secure Council IT systems and cloud services to store and manage your application information. These providers host the online forms, encrypted storage, and internal systems used to access and administer permit records. All providers are contractually required to protect your information and process it only as instructed by us.

We do not use any other external processors to support this activity, and your personal information is not shared with any organisations for marketing or unrelated purposes.

Data Controller

We are the Data Controller for the personal information processed as part of the School Street Permit Scheme. This means we are responsible for determining how and why your personal information is used to assess applications, issue exemption permits, and manage the operation of the scheme.

The Lawful Basis for Processing

We do not rely on consent to process your personal information for the School Street Permit Scheme. We must administer the scheme as part of its official functions, and the processing is necessary to ensure the safe and lawful operation of restricted zones around schools.

We process personal data under:

UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – Public Task - Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. This includes the Council’s responsibilities for traffic management, road safety, and the operation of restricted zones.

We may also rely on:

UK GDPR Article 6(1)(c) – Legal Obligation - Processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations relating to traffic regulation and enforcement.

Special Category Data

We do not routinely collect special category data for this scheme.

If you voluntarily provide medical information to support an exemption request, we process this information under:

UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – Substantial Public Interest, supported by
Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 16 – Support for individuals with a disability or medical condition

We only use special category data where it is necessary and proportionate to assess an exemption based on a medical need. Special category data is not used for any statutory traffic management functions.

Legislation We Rely On

We administer the School Street Permit Scheme under the statutory powers provided by:

Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which enables the creation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to restrict or regulate traffic, including timed vehicle restrictions outside schools.
Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996, which set out the legal process for making permanent and experimental TROs.
Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Procedure Regulations 1992, where temporary restrictions or orders are used.
Traffic Management Act 2004, including the Council’s duty to manage the road network (Part 2) and the framework for civil enforcement of traffic restrictions (Part 6).

These laws enables us to operate, enforce, and maintain the School Street restrictions and support “Public Task” as the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

International Data Transfers

The School Street Permit Scheme is administered using systems and services that store and process personal information within the United Kingdom. We do not routinely transfer your personal information outside the UK.

In the unlikely event that an international transfer is required — for example, where an IT service provider involved in hosting or supporting our systems stores data in another country — we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information. These may include:

Adequacy decisions: transferring data only to countries recognised by the UK government as providing an adequate level of data protection.
International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTAs) or Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs): legally binding agreements that ensure your information is protected to UK data protection standards.
Technical and organisational measures: such as encryption, access controls, and secure system configurations.

We only transfer personal data internationally where it is lawful, necessary, and properly safeguarded.

Retention Period

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is needed to administer the School Street Permit Scheme and to respond to any queries or complaints about your application.

In practice, this means:

Your application information (such as your name, address, contact details, and proof of residence)
will be deleted once your application has been assessed and your permit has been issued.
Your vehicle registration number will be retained for the duration of your exemption permit, or until:

you request that it is removed,
the permit expires, or
the School Street scheme ends for your area.

This ensures that only authorised vehicles can access the restricted zone during operational hours.

If your information is used for reporting or monitoring purposes, it will be anonymised so that you cannot be identified. Any notes taken during the application process will be securely destroyed once no longer required.

We do not keep your personal information for longer than necessary and we apply strict controls to ensure it is handled and deleted securely.

Your Rights

The UK GDPR provides you with a several rights to control what personal information is used by us and how it is used by us.

Further guidance about these rights can be accessed from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website

If you are not happy about the way your personal data is being used, or you require further information about how we process your personal data, you can contact our Data Protection Team:-

Online: Contact the DPO
By post: Data Protection Officer, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 0BA

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details:

Website: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Instant Message: Live Chat
By post: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113