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Privacy statement

Privacy Statement & Cookies 

How we process your personal data 

IGS is committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services.  The Privacy Notice below explains how the we use information and the ways in which we protect your privacy.  When using your personal data we are relying on our contractual obligation to provide you with the agreed services for which we may need to use personal data. 

What is Personal Data? 

Personal data means data which relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data, or from that data and other information which is in the possession of or is likely to come into the possession of IGS. 

What Level of Personal Data is used? 

Where necessary IGS processes personal data to deliver our services effectively.  We will not use personal data unless we need it, and where possible the data will be anonymised or pseudonymised.  We do not sell personal information to any other organisation for the purposes of direct marketing.  

Why we use personal information? 

We may need to use some information about you to: 

  • deliver services and support to you; 
  • manage services; 
  • train workers; 
  • investigate any worries or complaints; 
  • check the quality of services; and 
  • help with research and planning of new services. 

 

Your Rights 

You have several rights in relation to the use of your personal data, which are explained below.  If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer by emailing  igs@essex.gov.uk 

 

Access  

You have the right to ask for all the information we have about you. When we receive a request from you, we must normally give you access to everything we have recorded about you unless it is confidential information about other people; or likely to adversely affect the prevention or investigation of crime or fraud. 

Rectification 

You should let us know if you disagree with information held about you. We will correct factual inaccuracies.  

Erasure 

Where it is no longer necessary for us to process your personal data to provide your service you have the right to ask us to delete your data.  We will comply with your request unless we are required by law to retain the data, or it is required for a legal claim or defence. 

 

Restriction 

If the data we use is inaccurate, or the processing is unlawful, you can restrict the use of your personal data so that it is only processed to ensure its security or to make a legal claim or defence. 

 

Automated Decision making/Profiling 

No automated decisions or profiling is carried out using your personal data.  Should we wish to carry out this type of activity we will ask for your consent prior to any use for these purposes. 

 

How do we keep information secure? 

We will take appropriate steps to make sure we hold records about you in a secure way, and we will only make them available to those who have a right to see them.  Our security includes: 

  • Encryption 
  • Access controls on systems 
  • Security training for all staff 
  • Policies and procedures  

 

How long do we keep your personal information? 

We will retain information relating to our contract with you, which may include some personal data, for seven years after the contract has expired. 

Who will we share your personal information with?   

We use several commercial companies to either store personal information or to manage it on our behalf. Where we have these arrangements there is always a contract in place to ensure that the organisation complies with data protection law. Arrangements involving sensitive personal data will have been formally assessed in more detail for their compliance with the law. We may also share your personal information when we feel there is a good reason that is more important than protecting your confidentiality. This does not happen often, but we may share your information: 

  • For the detection and prevention of crime/fraudulent activity; or 
  • if there are serious risks to the public, our staff or to other professionals 

 

More advice? 

For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at: 

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF 

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number 

Alternatively, visit ico.org.uk or email casework@ico.org.uk.  

  

Cookies and how you use this website 

To make this website easier to use, we sometimes place small text files on your device called ‘cookies’. Most websites do this too. 

 

They improve things by: 

 

  • remembering the things you’ve selected while on our website, so you don’t have to keep re-entering them whenever you visit a new page 
  • remembering data you’ve given (for example, your address) so you don’t need to keep entering it 
  • measuring how you use the website so we can make sure it meets your needs. 

 

By using our website, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.  

 

We don’t use cookies on this website that collect information about what other websites you visit (often referred to as privacy intrusive cookies). 

  

Our cookies aren’t used to identify you personally. They’re just here to make the site work better for you. You can manage and/or delete these files as you wish. 

 

To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit AboutCookies.org or watch a video about cookies. 

 

Google Analytics 

We use Google Analytics to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to make sure it’s meeting peoples’ needs and to understand how we can make the website work better.  Google Analytics stores information about what pages on this site you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on while you are here. 

 

We do not collect or store any other personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this data cannot be used to identify who you are. 

   

Name 

Typical Content 

Expires 

_utma  

randomly generated number 

2 years 

_utmb 

randomly generated number 

30 minutes 

_utmc 

randomly generated number 

when you close your browser 

_utmx  

randomly generated number 

2 years 

_utmxx 

randomly generated number 

2 years 

_utmz 

randomly generated number and data on how the site was reached (e.g. direct or via a link, organic search or paid search) 

 

 

We also collect data on the number of times a word is searched for and the number of failed searches. We use this information to improve access to the site and identify gaps in the content and see if it is something we should add to the site. 

 

Unless the law allows us to, we do not: 

  • share any of the data we collect about you with others, or 
  • use this data to identify individuals. 

 

 

Turning off cookies 

 

You can stop cookies being downloaded on to your computer or other device by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. If you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website. 

  

There is more information about how to delete or stop using cookies on AboutCookies.org. You can also opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics. 

  

Further guidance on the use of personal information can be found at ico.org.uk