Request or amend your personal information

How to use a subject access request to view or amend information the council holds about you.

What is a subject access request?

A subject access request (SAR) is a way for you to ask to see personal data Oxfordshire County Council holds about you. 

For information to be personal data, it must:

  • relate to a living person
  • allow that person to be identified from it.

What you can request

You have rights under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) to request and amend the personal information we hold about you. Learn more about your rights

You can request one of the following:

  • access to your personal information
  • change inaccurate personal information
  • request the council to delete your information
  • request the council to restrict the processing of your information
  • request personal information provided in a portable format
  • object to the processing of your personal information
  • rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling
  • withdraw consent.

Accessing your NHS records

If you want to access your NHS records, make a SAR application to Oxford Health. Details on how to access your health files can be found on Oxford Health's website.

Who can make a request

Anyone can make a request for information that we hold about them. You will not be able to ask for copies of information about someone else unless you have their permission to do so.

Requesting your child's records

In order to be provided copies of your child's records, you will need to send us proof that you have parental responsibility. This can be their birth certificate(s) or an official court document stating parental responsibility. These must be the originals or certified copies.

What you need before you make a request

To make a request, you will need to supply a number of documents. We accept scanned original documents however, we reserve the right to request to see the physical original documentation in some cases. All original documents will be returned.

If you apply online, you can upload scanned documents directly to the form.

Proof of authority

If you are asking for information about someone else you must provide written evidence that you have the authority to act for that person. For example, proof of guardianship or power of attorney. If you do not have this contact your solicitor. 

Copies can be accepted if they are countersigned by a solicitor.

Proof of identity and proof of address

You will need to provide scanned originals or certified copies of two official documents each for the person about whom information is required and the person making the request if they are different.

  • One document for proof of identity – birth certificate, current driving licence or passport identification page.
  • One document for proof of address – current driving licence, utility bill, bank or credit card statement (less than three months old).

Certified copies

Details on who can certify a document can be found on the GOV UK's website. In order for a document to be certified as a copy, the person certifying the copy should:

  • write ‘Certified to be a true copy of the original seen by me’ on the document
  • sign and date it
  • print their name under the signature
  • add their occupation, address and telephone number.

Start your request

You do not have to use this form but it will help speed up the process. The request must be made in writing.

Request or amend personal information

What happens when you make a request

Once we receive a completed application, you will receive an acknowledgement letter and your documents returned to you.

You will receive a full response and files held on you within one calendar month unless it is very complex. If it is complex we will write to you within the first month to tell you that we are extending the timescale for a maximum of two months longer.

Requests that might be refused

We may not be able to release information that was provided to us about you by another organisation without that organisation's authority.

Some types of personal data are exempt from the right of a SAR and so cannot be obtained by making a SAR. Information may be exempt because of its nature or because of the effect its disclosure is likely to have. There are also some restrictions on disclosing information in response to a SAR – where this would involve disclosing information about another individual.

Learn more about subject access requests

Find out more about your rights and making a subject access request on the Information Commissioner's Office website.