Privacy Notice & Cookie Policy

Information About Us

Clearstep Consulting Ltd. Limited Company registered in England under company number 10133687.

VAT number is 242829106.

Clearstep Consulting Ltd is the data controller and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as Clearstep Consulting, ‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ in this Privacy Notice).

Privacy Notice and Cookie Policy

Clearstep Consulting understands that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your information and personal data is used and shared. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits our Site, our customers, business contacts and suppliers and will only collect and use information and personal data in ways that are described here and in a manner consistent with your rights and our obligations under the law.

This Notice applies to our use of any and all data collected by us in relation to your use of our Site. Please read this Privacy Notice carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of our Privacy Notice is deemed to occur upon your first use of our Site. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Notice, you must stop using our Site immediately.

This Privacy Notice supplements any other privacy notices or fair processing notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal data about you, so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data.

What Does This Notice and Policy Cover?

This Privacy Notice and Cookie Policy applies only to your use of our Site. It does not extend to any websites that are linked to from our Site (whether we provide those links or whether they are shared by other users). We have no control over how your data is collected, stored or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

This Privacy Notice explains how we use your personal data: how it is collected, how it held and how it is processed. It also explains your rights under the law relating to your personal data.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data is defined by the UK General Data Protection Regulation ( “GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (collectively, “ Data Protection Legislation”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

The personal data that we use is set out in What Personal Data Do We Collect?

What Are My Rights?

Under the Data Protection Legislation, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:

  1. The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Notice should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details in How Do I Contact You.
  2. The right to access the personal data we hold about you. How Can I Access My Personal Data will tell you how to do this.
  3. The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. Please contact us using the details in How Do I Contact You to find out more.
  4. The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we have. Please contact us using the details in How Do I Contact You to find out more.
  5. The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data.
  6. The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
  7. The right to withdraw consent. This means that, if we are relying on your consent as the legal basis for using your personal data, you are free to withdraw that consent at any time.
  8. The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.
  9. Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided in How Do I Contact You.

It is important that your personal data is kept accurate and up to date. If any of the personal data we hold about you changes, please keep us informed as long as we have that data.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

What Personal Data Do We Collect?

Depending upon your use of our Site, we may collect some or all of the following personal and non-personal data (please also see our use of Cookies and similar technologies). Some data will be collected automatically by our Site, other data will only be collected if you voluntarily submit it, for example, when contacting us.

  • Name,
  • Email address,
  • Telephone number,
  • Business name,
  • Job title,
  • Profession,
  • Payment information,
  • IP address (automatically collected).

We may obtain personal information by directly interacting with you, such as:

  • meeting with you in your office, at events or elsewhere,
  • receiving your instructions to provide consultancy or training services,
  • filling in a form on this website,
  • participating in discussion boards or other social media functions on our website,
  • giving us your business card,
  • corresponding with us by phone, email, letters or otherwise.

Where we have a contractual relationship with you, we may hold bank account and other payment information.

How Do We Use Your Personal Data?

Under the Data Protection Legislation, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. This may be because the data is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data, or because it is in our legitimate business interests to use it. Your personal data may be used for one of the following purposes:

  • Providing and managing your account.
  • Supplying our services to you. Your personal details are required in order for us to enter into a contract with you.
  • Communicating with you. This may include responding to emails or calls from you as well as contacting you via email or letter.
  • Supplying you with information by email and/or post that you have opted-in to (you may unsubscribe or opt-out at any time by contacting us).
  • Analysing your use of our Site to enable us to continually improve our Site and your user experience.

With your permission and/or where permitted by law, we may also use your personal data for marketing purposes, which may include contacting you by email or post with information, news, and offers on our services. You will not be sent unlawful marketing or spam. We will always work to fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under the Data Protection Legislation and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, and you will always have the opportunity to opt-out.

How Long Will You Keep My Personal Data?

We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected.

How and Where Do We Store or Transfer Your Personal Data?

We will store or transfer your personal data within the European Economic Area (the “EEA”). The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. This means that your personal data will be fully protected under the Data Protection Legislation, GDPR and/ or to equivalent standards by law.

Where we transfer your data to a third party based in the US, the may be protected if they are part of the EU-US Privacy Shield. This requires that third party to provide data protection to standards similar to those in Europe. More information is available from the European Commission.

Please contact us using the details provided in How Do I Contact You. for further information about the particular data protection mechanisms used by us when transferring your personal data to a third country.

The security of your personal data is essential to us, and to protect your data, we take a number of important measures including the following:

  • limiting access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors, and other third parties with a legitimate need to know ensuring they are subject to the duties of confidentiality;
  • procedures for dealing with data breaches (the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, your personal data) including notifying you and/or the Information Commissioner’s Office where we are legally required to do so.

Do We Share Your Personal Data?

We will not share any of your personal data with any third parties for any purposes, subject to the following exceptions.

If we sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or assets, your personal data may be transferred to a third party. Any new owner of our business may continue to use your personal data in the same way(s) that we have specified in this Privacy Notice.

In some limited circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain personal data, which might include yours, if we are involved in legal proceedings or complying with legal obligations, a court order, or the instructions of a government authority.

How Can I Control My Personal Data?

You may wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in the UK: The Telephone Preference Service, the Corporate Telephone Preference Service and the Mailing Preference Service. These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing material communications you have consented to.

Can I Withhold Information?

You may access our website without providing any personal data at all.

How Can I Access My Personal Data?

If you want to know what personal data we have about you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (where any such personal data is held). This is known as a “subject access request”.

All subject access requests should be made in writing and sent to the email or postal addresses shown in How Do I Contact You.

There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.

We will respond to your subject access request within a maximum of one month after receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.

How Do I Contact You?

To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please use the following details:

  • Email address: info@clearstepconsulting.co.uk
  • Telephone number: 07932 755984
  • Postal Address: 268 Standbridge Lane, Crigglestone, Wakefield, WF4 3JA.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may change this Privacy Notice from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection.

Any changes will be immediately posted on our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date. This Privacy Notice was last updated on 12th April 2021.

Cookies

This website uses cookies. A cookie is a small text file stored in your computer containing text data. We use cookies for certain functions to improve the usability of the website. These cookies do not contain any personal information about you. However, enabling cookies in your web browser is necessary if you wish your selections to be remembered for future visits on the same computer. Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. For more information about cookies and instructions on how to adjust your browser settings to restrict or disable cookies, see the IAB website at www.allaboutcookies.org.

Analytics

When someone visits www.clearstepconsulting.co.uk we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. To disable this type of cookie, some browsers will indicate when a cookie is being sent and allow you to decline cookies on a case-by-case basis. In addition to declining cookies, you can also install the Google Analytics Opt-out Add-on in your browser, which prevents Google Analytics from collecting information about your website visits.

We will never (and will not allow any third party to) use the statistical analytics tool to track or to collect any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of visitors to our site. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. Neither we nor Google will link, or seek to link, an IP address with the identity of a computer user. We will not associate any data gathered from this site with any Personally Identifiable Information from any source.

If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through our Site, we will be up front about this. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

Facebook, Instagram are social networks. Integration of social network components allows them to track which page of our site you are accessing, when you are logged into their account. If you do not wish this, please log out of your social network account before browsing the web.

WordPress

We use a third party service, WordPress.com, to publish our blog. This is hosted at WordPress.com, which is run by Automattic Inc. We use a standard WordPress service to collect anonymous information about users’ activity on the site, for example the number of users viewing pages on the site, to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the site and help us improve it. WordPress requires visitors that want to post a comment to enter a name and email address. For more information about how WordPress processes data, please see Automattic’s privacy notice.

Contact us for further information at info@clearstepconsulting.co.uk