Effective date: 15 August 2025
Last updated: 15 August 2025
This Privacy Policy explains how Kingston Independent Residents Group (“KIRG”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects personal information in connection with our websites, online forms, petitions, events pages, email lists, social media, messaging platforms, and other digital services (together, our “Online Services”).
KIRG is a political party operating in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. For the purposes of UK data protection law, KIRG is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy unless stated otherwise.
If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:
Email: admin@kirg.org.uk
Postal address: Kingston Independent Residents Group, 53 South Park Grove, New Malden, KT3 5DA
Data protection lead: James Giles
1) What information we collect
We collect and process the following categories of personal information, depending on how you interact with us:
- Identity and contact details (e.g., name, address, email, phone, preferred pronouns).
- Demographic and electoral information (e.g., postcode/ward, whether you are a resident, membership/supporter status).
- Engagement data (e.g., emails you send us, survey and petition responses, casework details, volunteer sign‑ups, event registrations, correspondence notes).
- Donations and transactions (e.g., donation amount/date/method, Gift Aid choice, Electoral Commission reporting details). We do not store full payment card details; these are handled by our payment processor.
- Campaign and canvassing data (e.g., issues you tell us are important, whether you want campaign updates, doorstep or phone canvassing responses).
- Technical data (e.g., IP address, device type, browser, approximate location, log files) and cookie/analytics data gathered via our Online Services (see section 7).
- Images and media (e.g., photographs/video from public events you attend; where appropriate we will seek consent).
- Accessibility or safeguarding information that you choose to share to help us include you safely at events.
Special category data. As a political party, we may process information revealing political opinions that you choose to share (e.g., issues, voting intention, party preference). We will only do this where we have a valid legal basis and appropriate safeguards (see section 4) and, where required, your explicit consent.
Children’s data. Our Online Services are not aimed at children under 13. If you are 13–17, please obtain permission from a parent/guardian before sharing personal information with us.
2) How we collect your information
- Directly from you (e.g., when you fill in a form, sign a petition, donate, volunteer, email us, attend an event, respond to a survey, or speak to our campaign team).
- From publicly available sources (e.g., open registers, local authority publications, publicly viewable social media posts).
- From third‑party service providers that help us run our Online Services (e.g., email platforms, event tools, payment processors) where you interact with KIRG through those services.
- From the Electoral Register (where provided to candidates/agents/parties in accordance with electoral law for electoral purposes).
3) How we use your information (purposes)
We use personal information to:
- Administer membership and supporter relations (including renewals and benefits).
- Run campaigns and democratic engagement, including sending information you request, updates about local issues, surveys, petitions, and opportunities to get involved.
- Handle casework and community issues you raise with us.
- Organise and deliver events, including registration, accessibility arrangements, and follow‑up communication.
- Fundraise and process donations, comply with donation transparency rules and financial/audit obligations.
- Conduct research and analytics to understand local priorities and improve our services (see profiling, section 10).
- Maintain the security and integrity of our systems, prevent misuse/fraud, and comply with law.
We will not sell your personal information.
4) Our legal bases for processing
We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018:
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) – e.g., when you opt in to receive email updates, submit a survey, or allow us to use your image. You can withdraw consent at any time.
- Contract (Article 6(1)(b)) – e.g., administering your membership or event registrations you enter into with us.
- Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) – e.g., complying with electoral, donation reporting and finance laws.
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) – e.g., running and improving our campaigns and services in a way that is reasonable and proportionate and respects your rights. We conduct balancing tests for activities relying on this basis.
- Vital interests (Article 6(1)(d)) – only in rare emergencies affecting someone’s life or safety.
Special category data (e.g., political opinions) is processed only where one of the following applies with appropriate safeguards:
- Explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)).
- Not‑for‑profit bodies for their members, former members, or people in regular contact (Article 9(2)(d)).
- Substantial public interest where permitted by UK law and subject to Schedule 1 safeguards of the Data Protection Act 2018 (e.g., certain democratic engagement activities). Where we rely on this, we keep an appropriate policy document.
5) Who we share information with
We share personal information only where necessary, with:
- Service providers (processors) under contract who support our operations (e.g., email and SMS platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, event and ticketing providers, survey/canvassing tools, cloud hosting, payment processors). They must follow our instructions and protect your data.
- Candidates and election agents during election periods for electoral purposes and in accordance with electoral law.
- Regulators and authorities (e.g., the Electoral Commission, HMRC) where required by law.
- Law enforcement or emergency services where necessary and lawful (e.g., to prevent or detect crime or to protect vital interests).
- Volunteers and local organisers who have signed confidentiality agreements and only where access is necessary for their role.
We do not permit third parties to use your data for their own marketing.
6) International transfers
Some of our service providers may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
- An adequacy decision for the destination country; or
- The UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses; and
- Additional technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk.
7) Cookies and analytics
We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our sites, remember your preferences, and analyse how our Online Services are used. Where required, we will ask for your consent to place non‑essential cookies.
- You can control cookies via your browser settings and, where offered, our cookie banner preferences tool.
- If we use analytics (e.g., to understand page usage and improve content), we configure it to respect privacy (e.g., IP anonymisation where available).
See our Cookie Notice for details of the cookies we use, their purposes and lifespans. [Insert link to Cookie Notice]
8) How long we keep your information (retention)
We keep data only for as long as necessary for the purpose(s) collected, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised. Typical retention periods include:
- Membership/supporter records: while active and up to 2 years after last meaningful contact.
- Donations/financial records: 6 years (or longer if required by law/auditors).
- Electoral register-derived data: only for permitted electoral purposes and typically until the end of the relevant electoral cycle plus 12 months.
- Casework correspondence: normally 4 years after closure unless ongoing issues require longer.
- Events data: up to 12 months after the event unless consent for longer (e.g., mailing lists) or legal reasons apply.
- Cookies/analytics: as set out in the Cookie Notice.
We may retain minimal suppression records (e.g., your email on a do‑not‑contact list) to ensure we respect your preferences.
9) Your privacy rights
Subject to certain limits, you have the right to:
- Access your personal data and receive a copy.
- Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Erase your data (“right to be forgotten”).
- Restrict or object to processing, including to direct marketing at any time.
- Data portability where applicable.
- Withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.
To exercise your rights, contact us using the details above. We may need to verify your identity. If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
10) Profiling and automated decision‑making
We may use limited profiling (such as grouping supporters by postcode/ward, issue interest, or engagement level) to tailor our communications and organise campaigns efficiently. You can opt out of profiling used for direct marketing by contacting us.
We do not make decisions about you that have legal or similarly significant effects solely by automated means.
11) Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including role‑based access controls, encryption in transit, staff/volunteer training, and regular review of our service providers. No system is completely secure; we will notify you and relevant authorities of breaches where legally required.
12) Links to other sites
Our Online Services may link to third‑party websites and platforms. Those sites have their own privacy policies and we are not responsible for their content or practices. We encourage you to read their policies before providing personal information.
13) Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be posted on our website with the date of the update. Where appropriate, we will provide a more prominent notice or seek your consent to significant changes.
If you require this policy in an alternative format for accessibility, please let us know.
This policy is designed for KIRG’s online activities. Additional notices may apply to in‑person events or specific projects. Nothing in this policy limits your statutory rights.