City of York Council (CYC) current data protection notification is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – reference Z5809563. We regularly review this privacy notice, and it was last updated in May 2025.
CYC is committed to ensuring that personal data is handled in accordance with the principles set out in data protection legislation and guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
This privacy notice tells you what to expect when Customer Service’s processes your information which will vary depending on why and how you are contacting or interacting with us, and the service or information you are requesting. The table below sets out which customer service departments and contact methods are included within this privacy notice.
| Service area | Phone contact | Face to face contact | Email contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator switchboard | Yes | No | No |
| Council Tax | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Housing Benefit | Yes | Yes | No |
| Parking | Yes | Yes | No |
| Planning | Yes | No | Yes |
| Concessionary travel | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Register Office | Yes | No | No |
| Electoral services | Yes | Yes | No |
| Waste, highways and environmental services | Yes | No | Yes |
| West Offices helpdesk | No | Yes | No |
CYC is the controller for the personal data we process, unless otherwise stated. You can contact the council’s Data Protection Officer at:
West OfficesStation Rise
York
YO1 6GA
Telephone: 01904 555719.
Email: information.governance@york.gov.uk.
This privacy notice should be read in conjunction with other relevant CYC privacy notices and/or policies and procedures.
When appropriate we will provide a ‘just in time’ notice to cover any additional processing activities not mentioned in this document.
- How do we get your information
- What personal data we process and why
- Automated decision-making
- Collecting information automatically
- Children's information
- Lawful basis for processing your personal data
- How long we keep your personal data
- Data sharing
- Data processors and/or third parties
- Transfers of personal data
- How we protect your information
- Your rights in relation to this processing
How do we get your information
We get information about you from the following sources:
- directly from you
- from third parties acting on your behalf such as family member(s), advocates, etc
- from our commissioned partners or contractors who undertake work on our behalf
- from external agencies and government departments such as other councils; the NHS; Department of Work and Pensions; Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
What personal data we process and why
We will only ask you for the information that is necessary to provide you with the service you are contacting us about.
This may simply mean providing your name and address but for some services, we will need more details and sometimes special categories of personal data, for example, if you are applying for an assisted waste collection, we may need information about your health.
We will use your information to:
- provide you with the information or service you have requested
- make the application for the service you have requested
- update internal systems to ensure our records remain accurate and up to date based on the information you provide
- to inform services to respond to the problem you have reported
- book your appointment with the required service
- record details of our interaction with you on the appropriate council system
- send you newsletters and updates that you have asked to receive
We may use information to create reports and statistics that are anonymous which cannot be linked back to you or to individuals, such as:
- informing market development
- statistical analysis
- statutory returns
- ensuring service quality
- inform service improvements
We may ask you to take part in surveys, consultation, or other events to get your feedback and opinions on our services. When we do this, we will ask for your consent. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting:
- telephone: 01904 551550
- email: ycc@york.gov.uk
Where we use platforms, systems, or apps such as WhatsApp to contact you, provide secure online conversations, hold meetings, and so on we will let you know.
Automated decision-making
We do not carry out any automated decision-making in Customer Service.
Collecting information automatically
Please see our cookies page for further information about the information we collect automatically when you use our website.
Childrens’ information
Where we provide services directly to children or young people, the information in the relevant parts of this notice applies to children and young people, as well as adults.
Lawful basis for processing your personal data
Any personal data including special category data that we process about individuals is done so in accordance with one or more of the below Article 6 and 9 of the UK GDPR and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018)
- Article 6(1):
- (a) Consent: the individual has given clear consent for the council to process their personal data for a specific purpose.
- (c) Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for the council to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).
- (e) Public task: the processing is necessary for the council to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
- (f) Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for the council’s legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests. (This cannot apply if you are a public authority processing data to perform your official tasks.)
- Article 9(2):
- (a) Explicit consent
- (b) Employment, social security, and social protection (if authorised by law)
- (g) Reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law)
- (h) Health or social care (with a basis in law)
This is supported by Schedule 1, Part 2 (6) of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the legal frameworks such as:
- Digital Economy Act 2017
- Digital Government Regulations 2018
- Local Government Act 2003
- Localism Act 2011
- Social Security Administration Act 1992
- Housing Benefit Regulations 2006
- Local Government Finance Act 2012
Some of the Schedule 1 conditions for processing special category and criminal offence data require an Appropriate Policy Document (APD) to be in place, which sets out and explains the procedures for securing compliance with the principles in Article 5 and policies regarding the retention and erasure of such personal data. This document explains this processing and satisfies the requirements of Schedule 1, Part 4 of the DPA 2018 and supplements this privacy notice.
Our Appropriate Policy Document provides further information about this processing.
How long we keep your personal data
Customer Service will keep your personal data for 13 months after your last enquiry with us closes.
This means if we don’t hear from you in that time period, we'll delete your personal data from the customer service system.
Data sharing
We will share your information with other Council Services for them to:
- provide you with the information or service you have requested
- decide on your application for the service you have requested
- confirm to you when changes to your information are updated
- respond to the problem you have reported
- prepare for your appointment with the required service
- to offer you social welfare support, information, and advice
You can find out more about what other council service area’s do with your information at in our Privacy Notice. For other advice and support services, see sharing information with advice providers.
In some circumstances, such as under a court order or safeguarding, we are legally obliged to share information. We may also share information about you with third parties including our data processors, government agencies and external auditors.
The council must protect public funds and may use personal data and data-matching techniques to detect and prevent fraud, collect taxes, and ensure public money is targeted and spent in the most appropriate and cost-effective way. To do this, we may share your personal data with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds including the Audit Commission, the Department for Work and Pensions, other local authorities, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Police.
We will always satisfy ourselves that we have a lawful basis on which to share the information and document our decision-making.
Additionally, we are required under the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended) to transfer records to the City or National Archives (TNA) for permanent preservation. Full consideration will be given to Data Protection and Freedom of Information legislation when making decisions about whether such records should be open to the public.
Data processors and/or third parties
Where we have third parties providing parts or all our services for us, we have contracts or agreements in place with them such as
- Our system providers:
- if we use Microsoft Teams, to contact you, to gather information from you, or if we are recording or transcribing our discussion or meeting with you, we will let you know. You can find more details about this in the City of York Council Microsoft Office 365 (MS365) Teams Meeting recording and transcription privacy notice
- when we use SurveyMonkey for our surveys or consultation etc you can find out how they use your information in the SurveyMonkey Privacy Notice
- where we use Delib’s CitizenSpace (digital citizen engagement platform) you can find out how they use your information in the Delib Privacy Notice
- where we use Granicus/Gov Delivery to send you updates, newsletters etc you can find out how they use your information in the Granicus Privacy Policy
Transfers of personal data
We do not routinely transfer personal data outside of the UK but when this is necessary, we ensure that we have appropriate safeguards in place and that is done in accordance with the UK data protection and privacy legislation.
How we protect your information
We are committed to keeping your information safe and secure. There are several ways we do this, such as:
- IT security safeguards such as firewalls, encryption, and anti-virus software
- on-site security safeguards to protect physical files and electronic equipment
- training for all staff and elected councillors
- policies and procedures
Your rights in relation to this processing
To find out about your rights under Data Protection law, you can go to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO).
You can also find information about your rights at Our Privacy Notice.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, want to exercise your rights, or if you have a complaint about how your information has been used, please contact us at information.governance@york.gov.uk or 01904 555719, or write to the:
Data Protection OfficerCity of York Council
West Offices
Station Rise
York YO1 6GA