Processing of personal data of elected officials and candidates at the City of Espoo

1. Purpose of and grounds for processing personal data

Personal data is generally used in Espoo for the provision, planning and assessment of activities and services and for statistical purposes. Elected officials’ personal data is processed for the purposes of holding general elections in Espoo, registering positions of trust, organising the activities of city bodies, organising city events for elected officials, declaring elected officials’ interests, and processing and paying elected officials’ fees and remuneration. Personal data is also processed for the purpose of monitoring the history of elected officials in different bodies and documenting the absences of council members. In addition, personal data is processed to pay elected officials charges (so-called party tax) by power of attorney.

In this service, personal data is processed on the following legal grounds: 

• To comply with the data controller’s legal obligation. The processing of personal data is based on the following legislation: Constitution of Finland (731/1999), section 121; Municipalities Act (410/2015) sections 26–28, 69, 70, 84 and 90; Administrative Procedure Act (434/2003); Election Act (714/1998), section 15; Archives Act (831/1994); Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999); and the City of Espoo’s administrative regulations.
• For the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
• For the performance of a contract. The data subject is a party to the contract, or the processing is necessary in order to carry out preparatory measures at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.
• Consent. You always have the right to withdraw your consent. You can withdraw your consent by contacting the organisation that processes your personal data based on your consent.

2. What data is processed and what are the sources of data?

It is necessary to process the following data to provide the service:

Candidates:

• identifying information (e.g. first name, last name, personal identity code and date of birth)
• title/occupation
• party information
• contact information (e.g. address and municipality of residence)
• signature on the candidate application

Elected officials: 

• identifying information (e.g. first name, last name, personal identity code and date of birth)
• contact information (e.g. address, phone number and email address)
• mother tongue
• title/occupation
• bank account details and tax card information for the payment of fees and remuneration
• party information (e.g. name of party, elected officials charge, and information on the submission of a power of attorney for the payment of the charge)
• information on which political group the person represents on the election committee or election commission
• positions of trust, official duties and managerial duties, and significant assets (land and forest ownership, shareholding, debt or guarantees) declared by the person subject to a declaration obligation, as well as other interests that may be relevant when in a position of trust
• IT equipment given to the person and the required information security and data protection commitment that is made when the person logs in to the device for the first time
• information on any food allergies and special diet is recorded with the consent of the data subject.
  
  We obtain information from the following sources:
• Contact information of persons elected to a position of trust is obtained from the municipal organisation.
• Information on the basic information form is provided by elected officials themselves.
• Some information is checked from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s Population Information System (VTJ) query service.
• The election authority’s information is obtained from each political group that proposes a person to the election committee or election commission.
• Persons’ memberships and roles in city bodies, in accordance with the decisions of the bodies.

3. How long is data stored?

Personal data is stored for as long as it is necessary for the provision of the service or required by legislation. In relation to this service, the main storage periods are as follows:

• Declarations of interests, data on elected officials’ memberships in city bodies, and the minutes of the meetings of city bodies, including personal data, are stored permanently, pursuant to the decisions of the National Archives of Finland.
• Remuneration statements and the personal data they contain are stored for 50 or 60 years, depending on the individual’s date of birth.
• Tax card: 2 years-
• The power of attorney for the payment of elected officials charge is stored for 10 years.
• Basic information forms are stored for 10 years.
• The candidate applications of candidates in municipal elections are stored until the results of the next election are confirmed.
• Documents related to the organisation and composition of bodies and working groups, including personal data, are stored as follows:
  - Requests and notifications regarding stepping down or resignation from a position of trust, and an elected official’s request to establish a new council group: stored for 10 years after the matter has been resolved.
  - Proposals to suspend an elected official indefinitely from a position of trust (e.g. for the duration of legal proceedings) or to dismiss an elected official from a position of trust: stored for 10 years after the matter has been resolved, if the proposal is not included in the minutes of the body’s meeting or its annexes.

4. Parties processing or receiving data

4.1 Parties processing data on behalf of the City of Espoo

Personal data is processed by the City of Espoo’s office-holders and employees, representatives of the city’s group entities whose board members include elected officials, as well as other external operators from whom the City of Espoo purchases services or with whom the City of Espoo carries out cooperation projects. We only select contracting partners who comply with good personal data processing practices and meet the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. Compliance with data protection requirements is ensured through written agreements.
The following external operators process elected officials’ personal data:
-    Sarastia
-    Innofactor

4.2 Disclosure of data to other organisations

Data is disclosed to the person requesting it in accordance with the Act on the Openness of Government Activities. Elected officials’ contact information (name, phone number, email address and postal address if necessary) is disclosed to the organisations to which they are elected or appointed as city representatives. An elected official’s consent to take on a position is confirmed with the municipal organisation. The data of the chairpersons of the election committee and election commission (name, phone number, email address) may be disclosed for the purpose of handling matters related to holding an election.

5. Will data be transferred outside the EU/EEA?

The City of Espoo aims to ensure, by default, that your personal data is processed within the EU/EEA. However, some services and functions may involve the use of service providers, services, or servers located outside this area. Video recordings of council meetings are published on YouTube, which is an international service. Council meetings are public.

6. Rights of the data subject

The General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union guarantees you various rights in terms of the processing of your personal data. You can read more about your rights and how to exercise them on the City of Espoo website: Data protection.

7. Data controller

City of Espoo

7.1 Contact person of the register

If you have questions or need more detailed information on the processing of personal data, you can contact the contact person of the register:

City of Espoo Registry Office
Street address: Siltakatu 11, 02770 Espoo
Postal address: P.O. Box 1, 02770 CITY OF ESPOO
Tel. +358 9 81656000
Email: kirjaamo@espoo.fi

Change history
1.0, 29.9.2025