Assertion 10: Digital and Data Compliance
There are two new requirements (email management and an IT Policy) and also local councils must comply with older legislation: WCAG 2.2 AA, the Transparency Code and GDPR.
New Requirements
- Email Management. Every council must have an email account hosted on an authority-owned domain. For example clerk@abcparishcouncil.gov.uk or clerk@abcparishcouncil.org.uk, rather than abcparishclerk@gmail.com or abcparishclerk@outlook.com, for example. We are able to set up .gov.uk domains and email accounts. Please request a quote here: GET A QUOTE
- All smaller councils must also have and IT Policy. You can find a sample IT policy here that you can edit using your details. Sample Parish Council IT Policy
Previous requirements
- All websites must meet the Web Content Accessibility guidelines 2.2 AA (WCAG 2.2 AA). In order to be compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA you must publish an Accessibility Statement. You can find a sample accessibility statement that you can edit with your details and publish here: https://parish-council.website/sample-accessibility-statement/
- All websites must include published documentation as specified in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Transparency Code for smaller authorities. You can find more information here, about what needs to be published, and when: https://parish-council.website/transparency-code-for-smaller-authorities/
- All smaller councils must follow both the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2016 and the Data Protection act (DPA) 2018. As part of this, the council needs to publish their privacy policy online. You can read more about GDPR here: https://parish-council.website/gdpr-for-town-parish-council-websites/