Privacy Notice

Your Privacy Matters to Us

At Citizens Advice, we collect and use your personal information to help solve your problems, improve our services, and address wider issues in society. We ensure your information is kept confidential and handled in line with data protection law.

Key Points

We handle and store your personal information in line with the law
We only access your information when necessary.
We only share what is relevant and never sell your information.
We handle and store your information securely.

Our lawful basis for processing your information

Our lawful basis for using your information
Activity	Lawful basis for collecting personal data	Lawful basis for collecting special category or criminal convictions data
General advice provision and funded services (unless listed below)	Legitimate interests – we have a legitimate interest to provide advice to our clients	Establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims – where we are helping clients establish their legal rights Substantial Public Interest (provision of confidential counselling, advice or support) – where we are providing advice to clients which doesn’t relate to their legal rights.
Consumer service and energy advice	Public task – we have a statutory obligation to provide consumer and energy advice	Substantial public interest (statutory obligation) – we have a statutory obligation to provide consumer and energy advice
Pensionwise advice	Public task – we have a public task through our funder the Money and Pensions Service to deliver pension advice	Establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims – where we are helping clients establish their legal pension rights
Debt relief orders	Public task – we have a public task through our funder the Money and Pensions Service to assist with debt relief orders	Establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims – where we are helping clients establish their legal pension rights
Accessibility requirements	Legal obligation – we have legal obligations in accordance with the equalities legislation	Substantial public interest (statutory obligation) – obligations under equalities legislation.
Marketing new advice services	Legitimate interests – we have a legitimate interest in promoting advice services which could benefit our clients Consent – where marketing rules require consent to do so	N/A
Maintaining quality and standards	Legitimate interests – we have a legitimate interest in ensuring that our service is run properly and that standards are maintained	Establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims Substantial public interest (protecting the public against dishonesty etc) – where we are carrying out functions to protect against: – dishonesty, malpractice or other seriously improper conduct – unfitness or incompetence – mismanagement in administration
Safeguarding	Public task – in complying with safeguarding obligations	Substantial public interest (Safeguarding of children and of individuals at risk)
Fraud prevention	Legitimate interests – we have a legitimate interest in defending against fraudulent activity Legal obligation – in some circumstances there are legal obligations to disclose actual or suspected cases of fraud	Substantial public interest – (preventing and detecting unlawful acts, preventing fraud, Suspicion of terrorist financing or money laundering)

When We Share Information Without Permission

We’ll only share information without your permission if there’s a legal basis to do so, for example:

To comply with the law (e.g., court orders).
To protect someone’s life (e.g., medical emergencies).
To carry out our legitimate interests as a charity (e.g., research).
To perform a public task (e.g., government services).
To fulfill a contract with you (e.g., employee payroll).
To defend our legal rights (e.g., legal advice).

Your Rights

You have the right to:

Access your personal information.
Correct or delete your information.
Limit or stop the use of your information.
Request a copy of your data for transfer to another service.

Further information

For further information, please refer to our Local Privacy Policy and the National Privacy Policy (produced by National Citizens Advice).

Further information is available in our local Privacy Policy (available on request), and in the National Citizens Advice Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

Address: Citizens Advice Carlisle & Eden, 4th Floor Broadacre House, 16–20 Lowther Street, Carlisle, CA3 8DA
Phone: 03300 563 037
Email: business.support@ca-ce.org.uk

Contacting the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

If you are unhappy with how we have used your personal information, you can also raise your concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office which regulates data protection law in the UK.

Please note, they will normally expect you to have made a complaint to us directly in the first instance.

Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk