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Customer Service Privacy Notice

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 October 2025.

CYC is committed to ensuring that your information 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 and other relevant privacy notices.

Service area Phone contact Face to face contact Email contact
Operator switchboard Yes No No

Council Tax

Housing benefit and council tax support Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes Yes Yes

Housing Benefit

Housing benefit and council tax support Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes Yes No

Parking

Parking Services Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes Yes No

Planning

Planning and Development Services Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes No Yes

Concessionary travel

Concessionary Bus Pass Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes Yes Yes

Register Office

York Register Office Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes No No

Electoral services

Electoral Services and Electoral Registration Officer Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 Yes Yes No

Waste, highways and environmental services

Waste Services, Public Realm and Fleet Services Privacy Notice – City of York Council

 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 Offices
Station 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

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)

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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 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:

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.

When you complete an online form on the council’s website and you have provided your email address, we will send you a copy of your completed online form.

We will inform you if your call is being recorded and you can find more details about our call recording at Call Recording Privacy Notice – City of York Council

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support or enhance council services. Where AI is involved in a process that directly affects your interaction with us, we will inform you before your user journey begins. This ensures transparency and helps maintain trust in how we use AI.

Our use of AI complies with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), including the principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, accountability, and accuracy. We conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) where AI systems are likely to result in high risks to individuals’ rights and freedoms, such as automated decision-making or profiling.

If generative AI tools are used, we do not use personal or end-user data to train AI models. This helps ensure compliance with the purpose limitation and data minimisation principles under UK GDPR.

AI for Staff Productivity and Accessibility

Where AI tools are used solely by staff to assist with drafting, research, or accessibility—for example, to improve writing efficiency or summarise information—these uses do not form part of a business process that affects service delivery or decision-making. As such, no specific notification will be provided for these internal productivity uses.

These uses are considered low-risk and do not involve automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. They are also subject to internal governance and safeguards to ensure responsible use. Examples include:

  • Drafting internal reports or meeting notes
  • Summarising lengthy documents for quicker review
  • Assisting with spelling, grammar, or formatting tasks

We may use your information to create reports and statistics that are anonymous and cannot be linked back to you, your family, or individuals such as:

  • statistical analysis
  • statutory returns
  • audit frameworks
  • see how the council and its partners are supporting individuals
  • help design better services
  • inform funding decisions

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Automated decision-making

We do not carry out any automated decision-making in Customer Service.

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Collecting information automatically

Please see our cookies page for further information about the information we collect automatically when you use our website.

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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.

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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 following Articles 6 and 9 and 10 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 framework:

  • 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 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.

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How long we keep your personal data

We will only keep your information for as long as it is needed then it will be securely and confidentially deleted or disposed of. This means if we don’t hear from you in that time period, we'll delete your personal data from the customer service system.

Our standard practice is to retain personal information for no longer than 13 months, after which it is securely deleted. However, due to a temporary technical issue within our system, this automatic deletion process has not been functioning as expected. We are actively working to resolve the issue and implement a fix. Once resolved, we will resume our usual deletion process and ensure that any personal information which should have been deleted during this period is securely deleted. We appreciate your understanding and remain committed to protecting your personal information and complying with UK data protection legislation.

ou can find details on how long the council keeps records at Council retention schedule – City of York Council

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Data sharing

We will only share your information where it is appropriate to, with:

  • other CYC services
  • other councils, government departments and agencies
  • other organisations such as NHS
  • third parties including our data processors, partners or contractors,  who undertake work on our behalf
  • internal and external auditors

In some circumstances, such as under a court order or safeguarding, we are legally obliged to share information.

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.

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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 

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Transfers of personal data

We do not routinely transfer personal data or special categories of 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.

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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

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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) For the public | ICO

You can also find information about your rights at Our Privacy Notice – City of York Council

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 Officer
City of York Council
West Offices
Station Rise
York YO1 6GA

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Also see

Data Protection Officer

West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA

Telephone: 01904 555719

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