Privacy notice for East Riding Archives Service

What do we use the information for?

East Riding of Yorkshire Council is appointed as an archive authority under the Local Government (Records) Act 1962 and the Local Government Act 1972.  Its powers relate both to the authority’s own administrative records and also to other records in its custody. Thus, we hold information in archive and local studies collections that have been deposited, donated and transferred by individuals, organisations and official bodies.  

East Riding Archives (ERA) exists to collect, preserve and make available the archive and local studies collections in the custody of East Riding of Yorkshire Council. This includes: 

• preserving the unique collective memory for present and future generations  
• encouraging and supporting the use of these collections by everyone for research, learning and enjoyment.

Individuals, organisations and official bodies can add information to these collections by depositing, donating or transferring their archives and local studies sources to us. 

What information do we hold and use?

We provide an approved place of deposit for various classes of central government records that are held locally (public records) under the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967. These include the records of Quarter Sessions courts, Petty Sessions courts, Magistrates courts, Coroners and the National Health Service.

East Riding Archives is recognised by the Master of the Rolls as a repository for manorial and tithe records under the Law of Property Act 1922, the Tithe Act 1936 and subsequent Documents Rules.

East Riding Archives also have delegated powers under the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978, as amended in 1993, with regard to parishes within the Archdeaconry of the East Riding in the Diocese of York.

We may also collect and process the following information about you to enable us to assist with your enquiry or visit:

• Personal information (including full name, contact details and full residential address)
• Information relating to your enquiry so we can reply to it.

On what grounds do we use the information?

We process personal data for the following reasons:

• GDPR Article 6(1)(a) - the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes
• GDPR Article 6(1)(e) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

We process special category data for the following reason:

• GDPR Article (2)(j) - processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) based on Union or Member State law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject.

Additional requirements relating to accessing information in records and archives have been added as part of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and the Environmental Information Regulations. These include a statutory right for individuals to have access to information, subject to exemptions and conditions.

How do we collectthis information?

We may collect information in the following ways:

• Telephone
• Email
• Paper, electronic or online forms 
• Letter 
• Face to face, with one of our employees, or one of our partners 
• CCTV
• Use of audio monitoring equipment.

We also hold information in archive and local studies collections that have been deposited, donated and transferred by individuals, organisations and official bodies. Details about how we collect these items are available in the following documents:

ERA Collections Development Policy (pdf 141kb)

ERA Collections Information Policy (pdf 134kb)

Who do we share your information with?

We may disclose your information to others, but only where this is necessary either to comply with our legal obligations or as permitted by Data Protection legislation. We may share it with other public service bodies including the NHS, the police and other local authorities.

The reasons why we may share your data with other departments within the East Riding of Yorkshire Council or other public bodies are as follows:

• To monitor and improve our performance and delivery of services
• For the prevention and or detection of crime
• Where necessary to protect individuals from the risk of harm or injury 
• Where otherwise permitted under the General Data Protection legislation.

When individuals, organisations and official bodies deposit, donate or transfer archive and local studies collections to us we share information in these with other customers as explained in our deposit and gift agreements: 

ERA Deposit Agreement (pdf 37kb)

ERA Gift Agreement (pdf 32kb)

Additional restrictions relating to how information in these collections is shared with other customers may be agreed when we receive them or after they have been catalogued. When these items have been listed we share this information about them with customers in our Online Catalogue. 

We also share information about collections held by ERA with The National Archives (TNA) as part of its annual survey of recently received records. 

How long do we store it and is it secure?

ERA has a retention schedule in place to ensure that information is only held for as long as it is needed. We will not keep your information for longer than is required to by law. Your information will be disposed of in a controlled and secure manner in accordance with the council’s Records Management and Data Quality Policy. 

The council’s IT security and confidentiality policies ensure that your information is protected, and accessed only by staff directly involved in your request.

For information on how long your information will be held visit the retention page. 

What rightsdo you have?

The rights that you have depend on the grounds upon which we collected your information. All of the rights you could have are outlined on the data protection rights page. 

In most cases, people who have made an enquiry or visited us will have the following rights:

• The right of access – you are entitled to see the information that we hold about you 
  
• The right to rectification – we will amend information accordingly, if any information the service holds about you is incorrect
  
• The right to restrict processing – you may wish to limit how we use your data 
  
• The right to object – in addition to the right to limit the use of your data, you also have a right to object to the use of your data for certain actions
• The right to erasure/to be forgotten – in certain circumstances, you may be able to ask for some of the information we hold to be deleted. The service has determined that all requests to permanently delete a service user record will be dealt with on an individual basis.

Where can I find out more?

If you would like to know more about how the council uses your information, your rights or have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concerns with us in the first instance. Contact details are available on the general privacy information page. 

Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest and they handle public concerns regarding organisations information rights practices. 

Information Commissioner’s Office (external website)

When was this privacy notice last updated?

We will continually review and update this privacy notice to reflect changes in our services, feedback from customers, and to comply with any changes in the law.

This privacy notice was last updated on 30 November 2020.