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Witney Benefice Privacy Notice

The Witney Benefice comprises the churches of St Mary the Virgin, Witney; Holy Trinity, Witney; St John the Evangelist, Hailey; St John the Baptist, Curbridge; and St Kenelm, Minster Lovell.

1. Your Personal Data – What is it?

Personal data refers to information that can identify a living individual, either alone or combined with other data. The handling of personal data is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

2. Who We Are

This Privacy Notice is provided by the Parochial Church Councils (PCCs) of Witney and Minster Lovell, who work together with the Rector. Our church is comprised of PCCs, clergy, ministers, and lay volunteers who may need to access personal data to fulfill their roles. The PCCs and Rector serve as joint data controllers, meaning they collectively decide how and why your data is processed. In this notice, “we” refers to these data controllers.

3. How We Process Your Personal Data

The PCCs and Rector adhere to GDPR and DPA 2018 by keeping personal data updated, stored securely, and protected against unauthorized access. We process data for:

  • Legal obligations: Fulfilling statutory duties, such as maintaining the electoral roll per Church Representation Rules.
  • Pastoral care: Providing spiritual support, like visiting you during illness or bereavement, and organizing ceremonies (baptisms, weddings, etc.).
  • Community service: Advancing our mission and carrying out voluntary activities for public benefit.
  • Record management: Administering employee and volunteer records.
  • Fundraising and promotion: Supporting the interests of our churches and communities.
  • Account maintenance: Processing donations (including Gift Aid) and keeping accurate records.
  • Communications: Gathering your views, notifying you of events, and sending requested information.
  • Applications: Processing grants or job applications.
  • Safeguarding: Implementing best practices to ensure safe environments for all.
  • Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance: Sharing contact details when necessary for administrative and financial tasks, such as building maintenance.

4. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

Our legal basis for processing varies:

  • Legitimate Interests: Most data processing supports our legitimate interests or those of a third party, such as the Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance. For example, we may store information on office-holders (e.g., churchwardens).
  • Legal Obligation: Certain processing is required by law, such as publishing the electoral roll or wedding banns.
  • Contractual Performance: We may process data to fulfill a contract with you, like hiring the church hall.
  • Consent: For other purposes, such as sending newsletters, we process data only with your consent.

5. Sharing Your Data

Your data is confidential and shared only when necessary or with your consent. Possible recipients include:

  • Church personnel: Other clergy and lay individuals licensed by the Diocese of Oxford, such as area deans and archdeacons.
  • Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance: Administrative and financial support.
  • Diocesan organizations: Entities like the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education, if relevant.
  • Agents and contractors: Maintenance personnel, printers, architects.
  • Community organizations: For joint events or activities with other churches.
  • Other Church Bodies: Where necessary for safeguarding, in line with national policies. See Church of England records guide for further details on data-sharing protocols.

6. Data Retention

We keep data according to the Church of England’s Keep or Bin: Care of Your Parish Records guidance. Specific retention periods include:

  • Electoral roll: Retained as long as current.
  • Gift Aid: Kept for six years after the relevant calendar year.
  • Parish registers (baptisms, marriages, funerals): Held permanently.

Generally, data is kept only as long as needed and deleted or destroyed when no longer required. For more on retention, see Church of England records guide.

7. Your Rights Concerning Your Data

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Request a copy of your data held by the PCCs.
  • Request correction of inaccurate or outdated data.
  • Request deletion when data is no longer needed.
  • Withdraw consent for data processing at any time.
  • Request data transfer (data portability), where possible.
  • Restrict data processing during a dispute.
  • Object to certain data processing.
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

To process your request, we may need to confirm your identity for security purposes.

8. Further Processing

If we wish to use your data for a purpose not covered in this notice, we will provide a new notice and, where necessary, seek your consent before proceeding.

9. Contact Information

For questions or to exercise your rights, please contact the Parish/Benefice Administrator via the contact form on this website or call 01234 567890.

For complaints, contact the ICO at 0303 123 1113, via email, or by post at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.