Bedford Borough Council has denied breaching data protection law by holding housing interviews in an open plan office after concerns were raised at a meeting, and that private interview rooms are available for “particularly sensitive subjects”.
A member of the public raised the issue during last week’s Housing Committee meeting (13 November).
Mike Hyden said: “Bedford Borough Council has a duty to ensure its services are compliant with data protection law by design and default.
“It’s clearly a breach of this duty to conduct housing interviews with vulnerable people in an open plan customer service centre where it’d be necessary to discuss highly sensitive issues essentially in public.
“JustUs raised this issue previously and the council rightly stopped this practice and conducted interviews in the private interview rooms,” he said.
JustUs is a charity that provides a homelessness advocacy service.
“Why has the council reverted to breaching the law?” he asked. “It’s a bit like your GP surgery, your doctor comes out to the waiting room and starts having the appointment.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t be happy with that.”
Anna Robbani, head of housing, homelessness and customer services, said: “We do recognise how sensitive housing interviews are, and I don’t agree that we’re breaching the law on this point.
“Interview rooms are available upon request, especially when there’s particularly sensitive subjects discussed within that housing interview.
“I have put forward with the team an action to put signage up in the Hub to just make it clearer for all customers that that offer is available.”
Ms Robbani added that screens have been put in place between the desks which provides “some privacy” and home visits are also an option.
“The housing desks are positioned separately at a distance from the general enquiries desk, the public reception and the digital assist space
“They are also by appointment, so the numbers of people in the waiting area are very controlled. We do train the officers to be discreet and sensitive in those interviews,” she said.
Mr Hyden replied, “The risk might be minimised, but it needs to be zero. It doesn’t seem clear why people are defaulted to the open plan centre rather than an actual private interview room when there is space available”.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
