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 November 2024.
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 we process your information and it applies to our YFAS.
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 OfficesStation Rise
York
YO1 6GA
Telephone: 01904 554145.
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 we collect 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 we collect your information
We get information about you from the following sources:
- directly from you
- from third parties on your behalf such as family member(s), advocates, Citizens Advice, etc
What personal data we process and why
We will only process the information that is necessary such as:
- name and address
- National Insurance number
- date of birth
- telephone numbers
- income for you and your household
- your characteristics (including gender, language and ethnicity)
- where appropriate, relevant medical information for you and/or your household
- any additional personal information that's necessary for us to assess your application and provide you with the service you require
- details of any previous and current involvement with specialist services
- your comments, feedback and opinions if you choose to take part in our surveys, consultation etc. You can withdraw your consent to these at any time by email: yfas@york.gov.uk
If we need any other details to assess your application for YFAS, we will ask you for this and explain why we need it.
We use your information to:
- process and make a decision on your application for YFAS
- to consider your eligibility and, if appropriate, make an award for Discretionary Council Tax Reduction or Discretionary Housing Benefit
- to advise and signpost you to other potential benefit entitlement
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
Automated decision-making
We do not carry out any automated decision-making in YFAS.
Collecting information automatically
Please see our Cookies Policy for further information about the information we collect automatically when you use our website.
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.
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 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.
- (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.
- Article 9(2)
- (a) Explicit consent
- (g) Reasons of substantial public interest (with a basis in law)
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
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 more details about how long the council keeps records in the council retention schedule.
Data sharing
We will only share your information where it is appropriate to, with:
- other council services
- third parties including our data processors, partners or contractors who undertake work on our behalf etc
- government agencies
- 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.
Data processors and/or third parties
When we have third parties providing parts or all of our services for us, we have contracts or agreements in place with them. These include:
- Charis Grants Ltd for the purpose of maintaining records for audit purposes, returns and statistical information to ensure vouchers are able to be provided to those most in need. You can find out what they do with personal information in the Charis Privacy Notice
- Low-Income Family Tracker Dashboard (LIFT) from Policy in Practice. Policy in Practice (PIP) (ICO Registration Number: ZA006797) Privacy policy
- 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
- SurveyMonkey for surveys or consultation etc. You can find out how they use your information in the SurveyMonkey Privacy Notice
- Zimma Ltd trading as Ticket Tailor for arranging and organising events etc. You can find out how they use your information in the Ticket Tailor Privacy Policy
- Eventbrite for arranging and organising events etc. You can find out how they use your information in the Eventbrite Privacy Policy
- Granicus/Gov Delivery to send you updates, newsletters etc. You can find out how they use your information in the Granicus Privacy Policy
- WhatsApp to contact you. You can find out how they use your information in the WhatsApp Privacy Policy
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.
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
Your rights in relation to this processing
To find out about your rights under data protection law, you can go to the Information Commissioner's Office website.
You can also find information about your rights in 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 on email: information.governance@york.gov.uk, or on telephone: 01904 554145, or write to:
Data Protection OfficerCity of York Council
West Offices
Station Rise
York YO1 6GA