Millom Town Council
Millom Town Council was formed in 1974 when the parish boundaries changed from Cumberland.
Millom Town Council (“the Council”) uses its computer systems, software packages and the internet, (including e-mail and its website), to further the efficiency of its business and to provide the best service possible to its parishioners and partners. Any disruption to the use of these facilities will be detrimental to the Council. This policy sets out how the Council intends to regulate the use of those facilities. The Council has a duty, laid down in the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 to ensure the proper security and privacy of its computer systems and data.
For the purposes of this document the terms “computer” (or “computer system”) and “computer data” are defined as follows:
All hardware, software, data and associated documentation produced in connection with the work of the Council, are the legal property of the Council.
Under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the following are criminal offences, if undertaken intentionally:
Deliberate unauthorised use, alteration, or interference with the computer system or its software or data (including the Council’s website and social media) will be regarded as a breach of the Council policy and may be treated as gross misconduct. In some circumstances such a breach may also be a criminal offence.
It is an offence under the Copyright, Design and Patent Act to copy licensed software with the consent of the copyright owner. All copying is forbidden by the Act, unless it is in accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective licence or contract.
Consideration must be given to the secure location of equipment, data and documentation to help safeguard the Council’s ICT assets. Portable equipment must be locked away when not in use.
Only persons authorised by the Town Clerk may use Council computer systems and data. The authority given to use a system or data must be sufficient but not excessive and users must be notified that the authority given to them must not be exceeded.
Malware is undesirable pieces of computer code that can corrupt systems, equipment and data. It is a serious increasing threat to the computer systems of the Council.
The Council’s computers will have loaded and operate up-to-date software for protection from malware.
Portable drives of unknown origin should not be used in the Council’s computers.
No software should be located onto the Council’s equipment without the permission of the Town Clerk.
If Malware is suspected, the equipment should be switched off and isolated and the Council’s support contractor should be contacted.
This policy applies to the activities which constitute unacceptable use of the computers operated by the Council. The policy applies equally to employees, councillors and others who may be allowed to use the facilities on a permanent or temporary basis. All misuse of the facilities is prohibited including specifically, but not exclusively, the following:
Computers are now a part of everyday life. If they are not used correctly, they can present hazards. Computers may be called Display Screen Equipment (DSE), Visual Display Units (VDUs) and the immediate environment where they are used i.e., desk/chair etc is referred to as a workstation.
The Display Screen Equipment Regulations, 1992 regulate the use of computers at work and refer to the persons affected as “users”. “Users” are persons who “habitually use VDUs as a significant part of their normal work and regularly work on display screens for two/three hours each day or continuously for more than one-hour spells.
To meet the requirements of the Display Screen Equipment Regulations, Millom Town Council will provide a free eye test for all staff that use VDU equipment as a major part of their job. It is Millom Town Council’s intention to optimise the use and application of display screen equipment, whilst safeguarding the health, welfare and job satisfaction or learning experience of those involved in using such equipment.
Risk assessments of all workstations are carried out to highlight any problems annually.
Current legislation does not allow formal meetings of English Town and Parish councils to be held virtually. Should this change, then any platform selected to support virtual formal meetings shall provide the following:
Adopted: 28th February 2024
Signed: ………………………… Chair
© Millom Town Council. All rights reserved
APRIL 30TH: Methodist Church meeting room
MAY 28TH: Methodist Church meeting room
JUNE 25TH: Methodist Church meeting room
JULY 30TH: Methodist Church meeting room
All meetings will commence at 07.00pm unless otherwise stated on
the agenda.