Privacy Policy

Advance Northumberland Privacy Policy 

How we handle your information  

Everyone working for Advance Northumberland Limited and associated companies has a legal duty to keep and process information about you in accordance with the law. This section explains why we ask for your personal information, how that information will be used and how you can access it.  

Why is information recorded about me?  

We record information about all of our customers to enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible and to provide you with a  professional service. We keep records which may be written down (manual records) or kept on a computer (electronic records).  

These records may include:  

• Basic details about you, for example: your name and address, or where applicable your business name and address, your telephone number/s and email addresses.  

• Unique identifiers (such as National Insurance numbers, or bank details) 

• Contact we have had with you, for example, appointments and copies of correspondence.  

• Details and records about the services you have received from us. 

• CCTV imagery.  

• E-mail address.  

• IP address.  

• Relevant information from third parties relevant to the service that you have received from us. 

We prepare a Privacy Notice for each of our business hours to provide full details of our records and information. These Privacy Notices are also available on our website.  

What is the information used for?  

Your records are used to help ensure that we provide you with the service you need and expect from Advance Northumberland.   

Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you or because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. subscribing to e-mails, support programmes or the property database  search facility).  

Specifically, we may use your data to:  

• Supply our services to you.  

• Enter into a contract with you.  

• Personalise our services to you. 

• Reply to e-mails from you. 

• Supply you with e-mails/ newsletters/ satisfaction surveys that you have opted into. 

It is important your records are accurate and up-to-date as they will help make sure that our staff are able to provide you with the help, advice or support you need. If you do not provide us with this information then we may not be able to provide you with the required service that you need. We will not use your information for marketing purposes unless you agree to this.  

How long is the information used for?  

Your details will be kept in accordance with the company’s Records Management and Retention Policy. Legal processing is kept to a minimum and will only be processed in accordance with the law.  

Sharing information 

When other agencies or third parties are involved in the delivery of our service, we may need to share details about you to enable us to work together for your benefit. Information will only be shared with third parties if they have a genuine and lawful need for it and you will be informed. Details of shared information is included within the specific Privacy Notices  by service area referred to above. Anyone who receives information from us has a legal duty to keep it confidential. 

We are required by law to report certain information to appropriate authorities. Occasions when your information needs to be disclosed (shared) include:  

• Where the health and safety of others is at risk.  

• When the law requires us to pass on information under special circumstances.  

• Crime prevention or the detection of fraud as part of the National Fraud Initiative.  

• Where a formal court order has been issued. 

• If requested by the police or for any legal proceedings.  

Partner organisations  

Advance Northumberland work with a number of partner organisations to ensure that we can provide the best service to  all of our customers.  These could include:  

• Northumberland County Council.  

• Department of International Trade.  

• North East LEP.  

• Financial Partners. 

• Department for Communities and Local Government. 

• Invest North East England. 

• Company solicitors.  

• Property database developers (Processors). 

Data will typically be stored and processed within the European Economic Area (EEA) and will not be shared with overseas recipients. However, some of the services we use, specifically the database Salesforce, will mean that your data may be transferred to and stored in the United States and in other countries outside of the EEA. In this case the provider operates under the EU Binding Corporate Rules arrangement for data protection as approved by the European Commission Article 46 GDPR.  

Can I see my records?  

The General Data Protection Regulation 2018 allows you to find out what information is held about you, on paper and computer records. This is known as ‘right of subject access’ and applies to your Advance records, along with all other personal records.  

If you wish to see a copy of your records you should contact the Data Protection officer at Advance on 01670 528 400 or at email  dpo@advancenorthumberland.co.uk. 

You are entitled to receive a copy of your records free of charge, within a month. In certain circumstances access to your records may be limited, for example, if the records you have asked for contain information relating to another person.  

Do I have Other Rights? 

Data Protection laws gives you the right:  

1. To be informed why, where and how we use your information. 

2. To ask for access to your information. 

3. To ask for information to be corrected if inaccurate or incomplete. 

4. To ask for your information to be deleted or removed where there is no need for us to continue processing it. 

5. To ask us to restrict the use of your information.  

6. To ask us to copy or transfer your information from one IT system to another in a safe and secure way, without impacting the quality of the information. 

7. To object to how your information is used. 

8. To challenge any decisions made without human intervention (automated decision making). 

9. To lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office whose contact details are below. 

10.  If our processing is based upon your consent, to withdraw your consent. 

Further information  
If you would like to know more about how we use your information, or if for any reason you do not wish to have your information used in any of the ways described here please tell us. Please contact the Data Protection Officer on 01670 528 400 or email  dpo@advancenorthumberland.co.uk. 

Details of the Information Commissioner can be found at:  https://ico.org.uk/