St Andrew's Church

Here at St Andrew’s we take your privacy seriously. This document sets out the basis on which any personal information we collect from you, or you provide to us will be processed.

Your personal data – what is it?

Personal data relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information in the data controller’s possession or likely to come into such possession. The processing of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”).

Who are we?

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Andrew’s, Bishopthorpe is the data controller (contact details below). This means it decides how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.

What data do we process?

We will process some or all of the following where necessary:

• Names, titles, and aliases, photographs;
• Contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses;
• Where they are relevant to our mission, or where you provide them to us, we may process demographic information such as gender, age, date of birth, marital status, nationality, education/work histories, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition, and dependants;
• Where you make donations or pay for activities such as use of a church hall, financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers;
• The data we process is likely to constitute sensitive personal data because, as a church, the fact that we process your data at all may be suggestive of your religious beliefs. Where you provide this information, we may also process other categories of sensitive personal data: racial or ethnic origin, sex life, mental and physical health, details of injuries, medication/treatment received, political beliefs, labour union affiliation, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning sexual orientation and criminal records, fines and other similar judicial records.

How do we process your personal data?

The PCC of St Andrew’s, Bishopthorpe complies with its obligations under the “GDPR” by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate physical, technical and managerial measures are in place to protect personal data. We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations (which include maintaining and publishing our electoral roll in accordance with the Church Representation Rules);
• To carry out comprehensive safeguarding procedures (including due diligence and complaints handling) in accordance with best safeguarding practice from time to time with the aim of ensuring that all children and adults-at-risk are provided with safe environments;
• To minister to you and provide you with pastoral and spiritual care (such as visiting you when you are gravely ill or bereaved) and to organise and perform ecclesiastical services for you, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals;
• To deliver the Church’s mission to our community, and to carry out any other voluntary or charitable activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in the constitution and statutory framework of each data controller;
• To administer the parish, deanery, archdeaconry and diocesan membership records;
• To fundraise and promote the interests of the Church and charity; • To maintain our own accounts and records;
• To process a donation that you have made (including Gift Aid information);
• To seek your views or comments;
• To notify you of changes to our services, events and role holders;
• To send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you. These may include information about campaigns, appeals, other fundraising activities;
• To process a grant or application for a role;
• To enable us to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical area as specified in our constitution. 

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

Most of our data is processed because it is necessary for our legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of a third party (such as another organisation in the Church of England). An example of this would be our safeguarding work to protect children and adults at risk. We will always take into account your interests, rights and freedoms.

Some of our processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. For example, we are required by the Church Representation Rules to administer and publish the electoral roll, and under Canon Law to announce forthcoming weddings by means of the publication of banns.

We may also process data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. An example of this would be processing your data in connection with the hire of church facilities.

Religious organisations are also permitted to process information about your religious beliefs to administer membership or contact details.

Where your information is used other than in accordance with one of these legal bases, we will first obtain your consent to that use.

Sharing your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be shared with other members of the church in order to carry out a service to you or other church members or for purposes connected with the church. We will only share your data with third parties outside of the parish with your consent. 

How long do we keep your personal data?

We keep data in accordance with the guidance set out in the guide “Keep or Bin: Care of Your Parish Records” which is available from the Church of England website.

Specifically, we retain electoral roll data, gift aid declarations (and associated paperwork) and hall booking forms for up to 6 years after the calendar year to which they relate; and parish registers (baptisms, marriages, funerals) permanently.

Your rights and your personal data

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

• The right to request a copy of your personal data which the PCC of St Andrew’s, Bishopthorpe holds about you;
• The right to request that the PCC of St Andrew’s, Bishopthorpe corrects any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date;
• The right to request your personal data is erased where it is no longer necessary for the PCC of St Andrew’s, Bishopthorpe to retain such data;
• The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time
• The right, where there is a dispute in relation to the accuracy or processing of your personal data, to request a restriction is placed on further processing;
• The right to object to the processing of personal data
• The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office.

Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Data Protection Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

Contact Details

To exercise all relevant rights, queries of complaints please in the first instance contact the Parish Manager at the Parish Office, St Andrew’s Church Hall, Church Lane, Bishopthorpe, YO23 2QG or contact us.

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.