Information Governance Team 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 September 2025.

CYC is committed to ensuring that 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 we process your information and it applies to information governance services.

CYC is the controller for this information unless we specifically state otherwise in this privacy notice.

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 CYC privacy notices that are available in our Privacy Notice  and/or CYC policies and procedures.

When appropriate we will provide a ‘just in time’ notice to cover any additional processing activities not mentioned in this privacy notice.

How we collect 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), advocacy services, etc
  • from our commissioned partners or contractors who undertake work on our behalf

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What personal data we process and why

We will only process the information that is necessary such as:

  • name
  • address 
  • date of birth
  • contact details
  • proof of identity for example, passport, driving licence  
  • financial information
  • health information

Also, if its relevant and appropriate to, we may also have to process data relating to criminal convictions and offences, including past criminal convictions or offences  

We will use your information to:

  • respond to your enquiry or request
  • respond to a regulator enquiry, investigation, or case
  • to comply with our obligations under relevant legislation and laws such as Freedom of Information Act (FOI), Environmental Information Regulation (EIR), UK data protection and privacy legislation, Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and Investigatory Powers Act 2019 (IPA) and all relevant codes of practice

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. 

When you make an online payment on the council’s website, you can find details at Online Payments Privacy Notice – City of York Council

We will ask for your consent to take part in surveys, consultation or other events to get your feedback, about the service and support you have received. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting information.governance@york.gov.uk

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.

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 framework
  • 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 the Information governance team services.

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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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Children’s 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 and criminal offence data that we process about individuals is done so in accordance with Article 6, Article 9, and Article 10 of the UK GDPR and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018). These are one or more of the following: 

Article 6(1)

(a) Consent: the individual has given clear consent for the council to process their personal data for a specific purpose.
(b) Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract the council has with the individual, or because they have asked the council to take specific steps before entering into a contract.
(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 - the individual has given clear consent to process their special categories of personal data for a specific purpose
(b) Employment, social security and social protection (if authorised by law)
(g) Reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law)


This is supported by Schedule1, Part 2 (6) of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the following legal framework:

  • Freedom of Information Act 2000
  • Environmental Information Regulations 2004
  • Data Protection Act 2018
  • UK General Data Processing Regulation (GDPR)
  • Re-use of Public Sector Information 2015
  • Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
  • Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Where we process personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences, this is also under Article 10 UK GDPR that covers processing in relation to criminal convictions and offences or related security measures. In addition, section 11(2) of the DPA 2018 specifically confirms that this includes personal data relating to the alleged commission of offences, or proceedings for an offence committed or alleged to have been committed, including sentencing.

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.

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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.

You 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.

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

When we have third parties providing parts or all of our services, systems, software, platforms, applications (apps) etc for us, we have contracts or agreements in place with them. These include

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Transfers of personal data

We do not routinely transfer personal data, special categories of personal data or criminal offence 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're 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 on email: information.governance@york.gov.uk, or on telephone: 01904 555719, or write to:

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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