Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 2026

This website is operated by Silloth-on-Solway Town Council (“we”, “us”, or “our”). We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Silloth-on-Solway Town Council is the Data Controller.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our community website, submit information for publication, or use our contact forms.

1. Information We Collect About You

We may collect and process the following types of personal data:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, telephone number, and any other details you provide when using our contact forms to submit news, calendar events, or general enquiries.
  • Directory & Event Submissions: Business names, physical addresses, public contact numbers, website URLs, and social media links that you explicitly submit for public display in our Community Directory or Calendar.
  • Technical & Usage Data: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, and anonymous information about how you navigate and interact with our website.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect in the following ways:

  • To process, review, and publish your submitted events, noticeboard stories, or community listings.
  • To respond to your general enquiries or requests submitted through our contact forms.
  • To maintain, update, and improve the functionality and security of our website.
  • To comply with our administrative obligations as a local government body.

3. Our Lawful Basis for Processing Data

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases to process your personal data:

  1. Consent: You have given us clear consent to process your personal data for a specific purpose (for example, by voluntarily filling out a contact form or submitting your business details for the directory). You can withdraw this consent at any time.
  2. Public Task: The processing is necessary for us to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions as a local authority (providing public information, community transparency, and supporting local amenities).

4. How Long We Keep Your Data

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

  • Contact Form Enquiries: Retained for a maximum of 6 months from the date of submission before being securely destroyed.
  • Directory & Calendar Listings: Retained and displayed publicly on the website for as long as the local business, group, or organisation remains active, or until a request for removal is received.

5. Sharing and Disclosure of Your Information

  • Public Display: Information submitted specifically for inclusion in the Community Directory, Noticeboard, or Calendar is intended for public viewing and will be visible to all visitors to the website.
  • Private Data: We never sell, rent, or trade private personal details (such as your private email address or phone number) with third-party marketing companies.
  • Third-Party Services: Your data is securely hosted on our UK-based web servers provided by Cloud Next. We ensure our hosting partners maintain strict security measures compliant with UK data protection laws.

6. Data Security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorised way. This website uses an SSL certificate (HTTPS) to ensure that all data transmitted through our online forms is securely encrypted.

7. Your Legal Rights

Under UK data protection laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • The Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • The Right to Correction: You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information (such as updating your directory listing details).
  • The Right to Erasure: You have the right to ask us to delete your personal data from our systems where there is no compelling reason for us to continue processing it.
  • The Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided below.

8. Contact Us & Complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to make a request regarding your personal data, please contact the Council:

  • Council Name: Silloth-on-Solway Town Council
  • Address: 5 Burnswark Terrace, Solway Steet, Silloth, Cumbria, CA7 4EF
  • Email: info@solwaybuzz.co.uk
  • Telephone: 016973 31128

If you remain unsatisfied with how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint at any time with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk).