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TVBC Sell Electoral Register Data

Test Valley Borough Council are one of the councils on a list of local authorities that have sold electoral register data to individuals and organisations. [Read more...]

Test Valley Borough Council are one of the councils on a list of local authorities that have sold electoral register data to individuals and organisations.

During the 5 year period of the report TVBC sold the information 12 times – 5 to individuals and 7 to organisations – giving them £402 income. Hampshire County Council did not respond to the request.

The Democratic Value report by Big Brother Watch covers the 5 years from 1st May 2007 to 1st May 2012 and shows over 307 councils have sold information from the edited electoral register.

Big Brother Watch said: “Councils have no say in selling the register – and it probably costs more to administer than they bring in through charges – but threats of legal action mean they can do little to assist residents and there is not widespread awareness of understanding of why there are two versions of the electoral roll.

The Edited Elector Register was introduced in 2002 and your information can be sold by the authority.

If you wish to have your details removed from the list that can be sold, the report contains a template you can use to request permanent removal of your data and also a Freedom of Information request to ask who your data was sold to.

Download the report here as a PDF.

TVBC Andover

Thank you to Nadine O’Connor for the initial awareness.