STAFF at Cotswold District Council (CDC) have been accused of giving residents' contact details to a third party without their consent.

However, the council is adamant it has not breached any data protection rules.

A resident, who did not want to be named, complained about being contacted by MiPermit after he signed up for a parking permit at Cotswold Leisure Centre in Cirencester.

MiPermit, which is part of Brinkworth-based Chipside Ltd, manages parking permits for CDC, but the company is not sanctioned by the government’s Information Commissioner.

The man received an email from MiPermit, which was sent to around 3,000 people in total to inform them of changes to parking arrangements in the town.

He also claims that when he called the council to complain, he was laughed at by a member of staff.

The man said: “My concern is that CDC are not paying appropriate or any concern to how they manage the personal data they amass.

“I would suggest CDC have not properly checked this company out before sharing data with them.

"If their controls over data are this lax in this instance how can they be trusted with the vast amounts they hold?"

He added: “Identity theft is a growing concern. If we can’t trust our council to keep our data safe, what chance do we have with any government institution?

"And to know one's concerns are met with a laugh when the council is questioned is not really that funny.”

CDC contend that the information was passed to Chipside solely for the purpose of informing permit holders about parking changes.

A spokesman said the council “considered this to be a reasonable course of action in line with the council’s privacy policy”.

CDC is investigating whether the man was laughed at by a member of staff.

The spokesman added: “The council does not sell or pass on any personal data to unrelated third party organisations to carry out unsolicited mail shots.

"The management and issuing of season ticket and all the processes relating to this has been outsourced by the council to Chipside Ltd who act as agents for the council. “The policy states that the council may use the information provided to improve our products and services. "The council acted in accordance with the data protection principles as outlined on the Information Commissioner’s Office website; in other words, the information provided to us has only been used for compatible purposes and is in accordance with the council’s data registration.”