Job applicants privacy notice

This notice explains how the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (the ‘council’) collects and uses your personal information when you apply for a job with us.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring your personal data is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

How We Use Your Personal Information

We collect and process your personal data to manage the recruitment process, assess your application, and, if successful, to make arrangements for your employment.

The information we collect is limited to what is necessary for these purposes and may include your name, contact details, employment history, qualifications, and any other details relevant to the role. Most of the information we request is mandatory, but in some cases, you will have a choice whether to provide certain details. We will make this clear at the time of collection.

You may also be asked to provide special category information – for example, about your ethnic background or any disability – for equal opportunities monitoring. This data is optional, and if provided, will be used anonymously for reporting purposes. You will not be identifiable from this information provided.

If your application is successful, we will ask for additional information on your new starter forms triggered by our enboarder onboarding system sent via email / text message such as your bank details, emergency contacts, and other employment-related data. You will be given a separate employee privacy notice at that stage.

Lawful Basis for Processing

We must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. The council processes your information on the following grounds:

  • Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) – We process your information where we are required to do so by law.
  • Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) – We process your data to manage our recruitment processes effectively, provided this does not override your rights.
  • Special category data (Article 9(2)(b)) – We process certain sensitive data, such as diversity information, where this is necessary for employment purposes and permitted under the law.

Protecting Your Information

We take your privacy seriously and comply with all applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Our online application system uses secure (https) webpages, which means the information you submit is encrypted. While we have appropriate technical and organisational measures in place to protect your data, no internet system can be guaranteed as completely secure.

Sharing Your Information

Your data will not be shared with third parties unless your application is successful. If we offer you employment, we may share necessary information with:

  • Former employers (to obtain references)
  • Occupational health providers
  • The Disclosure and Barring Service – DBS (if required for the role)

We will only share the minimum amount of information needed in each case.

The council is also under a duty to protect public funds. We may use the information you provide to help prevent and detect fraud and share it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds.

How Long We Keep Your Data

If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your personal data for 12 months after the recruitment process concludes. After this period, your information will be securely deleted.

If your application is successful, the information collected during recruitment will be added to your personnel file and kept for the duration of your employment.

Right to Work and Sponsorship

The council is legally required to ensure that all applicants have the right to work in the UK. If you are invited to interview or offered a role, you will be asked to provide valid documentation confirming your right to work, this will either be a British Passport or a Passport and relevant visa details.

We may be able to offer visa sponsorship for some roles, depending on the job and the applicant’s eligibility under UK immigration rules. If sponsorship isn’t available for a particular role, you must already have the right to work in the UK when you apply. Any documents you provide to confirm your right to work will be kept safe and handled in line with data protection laws.

Your Rights

You have the right to access your personal data, request corrections, or ask for your information to be deleted in certain circumstances.

For further details about your data rights or how we use personal information more generally, please refer to our general privacy notice. 

Last reviewed

22/04/2026