Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Hurworth Parish Council (“the Council”) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal data is handled in a safe and responsible manner.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you use our website or contact us.

We process personal data in accordance with the following legislation:

The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
The Data Protection Act 2018

2. Data Controller

The data controller is:

Hurworth Parish Council
Hurworth Grange Community Centre
41 Hurworth Road
DL2 2BN

Email: enquiries@hurworthparishcouncil.org.uk
Telephone: 01325 722171

The Parish Clerk acts as the primary contact for data protection matters.

3. What Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data.

a) Information you provide directly

This may include:

Name
Email address
Telephone number
Postal address
Any information you include in correspondence, forms, or emails

b) Website usage data

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

IP address
Browser type and version
Pages visited
Date and time of visit
Referring website (if applicable)

This information is collected for statistical and security purposes only.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and correspondence
To provide council services and information
To manage consultations and community engagement
To comply with legal and statutory obligations
To improve the website and user experience
To administer meetings, elections, and council business

We will only use your personal data for the purpose for which it was collected.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data under one or more of the following legal bases:

Consent – where you have given clear consent
Legal obligation – where processing is required by law
Public task – where processing is necessary to perform our statutory functions
Legitimate interests – where appropriate and balanced against your rights

6. Sharing Your Information

We will not sell or rent your personal data.

We may share your information:

With contractors or service providers working on our behalf (for example, website hosting providers)
Where required by law or regulation
With other public bodies where necessary to carry out our duties

All third parties are required to handle your data securely and lawfully.

7. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to:

Ensure the website functions correctly
Collect anonymous usage statistics

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. For more information, please refer to our Cookie Policy (where applicable).

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against:

Unauthorised access
Loss or destruction
Accidental disclosure

Access to personal data is restricted to authorised persons only.

9. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary and in line with:

Legal requirements
Our records management policies
Guidance for local councils

Personal data is securely deleted when it is no longer required.

10. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

Access your personal data
Request correction of inaccurate data
Request deletion of your data (where applicable)
Restrict processing
Object to processing
Data portability (in certain circumstances)
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact the Parish Clerk using the details above.

11. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

We encourage you to contact the Council first so we can try to resolve your concern.

12. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites. Hurworth Parish Council is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be published on this website with an updated revision date.

Last updated: 11 January 2026