Privacy Notice
Periscope Group Limited (referred to as ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) is committed to protecting and respecting any personal information you share with us. In our commitment to protecting privacy, we aim to always comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
This notice describes what types of information we collect from you when you work with us, use our website, interact with our digital platforms, when we meet you and when you contact us, how it is used by us, how we share it with others, how you can manage the information we hold, and how you can contact us.
We will always give you the option not to receive marketing communications from us. We will never send you unsolicited ‘junk’ email or communications, or share your data with anyone else who might. We do not sell your information to third parties, but we do sometimes work closely with selected partners who help us to provide you with the information, products, and services that you request from us.
The contents of this notice may change from time to time, so you may wish to check this page occasionally to ensure you are still happy to share your information with us. Where possible, we will also contact you directly to notify you of these changes.
This policy was last updated in August 2024.
Who we are
For the purposes of GDPR, the data controller is Periscope Group Limited. A ‘data controller’ is an organisation that decides why and how your personal data is processed. In some cases, for example, where we undertake payroll services we may also act as the data processor.
We are registered in England and Wales as a limited liability company (registered number 04224782) and our registered office is at Faveo House, 2 Somerville Court, Banbury Business Park, Adderbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 3SN.
The person responsible for Data Protection is Christopher Isham.
Definitions
‘Personal data’ is any information about a living individual from which they can be identified such as name, ID number, location data, any online identifier, or any factor specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic or social identity of that person. It does not include data where any potential identifiers have been removed (anonymous data) or data held in an unstructured file.
‘Special categories’ of personal data are more private in nature and therefore require a higher level of protection, such as genetic data, biometric data, information about sex life or sexual orientation, race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership and health.
How we collect information from you
We obtain information about you when you engage us to deliver our services and when you use our website. You may give us information about you by corresponding with us by telephone, email, our secure portal, post, social media or otherwise.
We collect most of this information from you. However, we may also collect information:
- From publicly accessible sources, such as Companies House or HM Land Registry
- directly from a third party, such as HMRC
- from a third party with your consent, such as your bank or building society, another financial institution or advisor, consultants and other professionals, your employer and/or trade union, professional body, or pension administrator.
We may also obtain information about your employees in the course of our work with you.
The kind of information we hold
The personal data we collect from you will vary depending on which services you engage us to deliver.
The data we collect might include your name, nationality, address, date of birth, email address, phone number(s), your Unique Tax Reference (UTR) number, your National Insurance number, passport details, bank details, details of personal assets and income including your employment status, salary and benefits, pension arrangements, your IP address, information to enable us to check and verify your identity and any additional information we may require to provide our services to you.
We only collect and process special categories of personal data where it is necessary and in compliance with all applicable legislation. By registering your details with us, you consent to us collecting and processing the personal data supplied by you and disclosing this information in connection with the services provided.
How we use your personal data
We process your personal data for various reasons, relying on a variety of different bases for lawful processing under data protection law.
In general terms, and depending on which services you engage us to deliver, as part of providing our agreed services we may use your information to:
- provide accountancy, taxation and related services to you
- contact you by post, email or telephone
- verify your identity where this is required
- understand your needs and how they may be met
- maintain our records in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
- process financial transactions
- prevent and detect crime, fraud or corruption.
Your information will be shared internally where necessary. Any directors and employees with access to your information have a duty of confidentiality under the ethical standards that the company is required to follow.
The company will not transfer your data to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
Retention of personal data
We are required by legislation, other regulatory requirements, and our insurers to retain your data where we have ceased to act for you. The period of retention required varies with the applicable legislation, however, to ensure compliance with all such requirements, it is the policy of the company to retain all data for a period of 7 years from the end of the period concerned.
You are responsible for retaining information that we send to you (including details of capital gains base costs, claims and elections submitted) and this will be supplied in the form agreed between us. Documents and records relevant to your tax affairs are required by law to be retained by you as follows:
Individuals, trustees, and partnerships
- with trading or rental income: 5 years and 10 months after the end of the tax year;
- otherwise: 22 months after the end of the tax year.
Companies, LLPs, and other corporate entities
- 6 years from the end of the accounting period.
Automated decision-making
We do not intend to use automated decision-making in relation to your personal data.
Who we share your personal data with
We may disclose your information to third-party service providers for the purposes of providing services to us, or directly to you on our behalf. Such third parties may include:
- HMRC
- any third parties with whom you require or permit us to correspond
- professional indemnity insurers
- professional advisory services
- subcontractors and administration service providers
- tax insurance providers
- cloud service providers (such as hosting and email providers)
- an alternate appointed by us in the event of incapacity or death
- our professional body (AAT) and/or the Office of Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervisors (OPBAS) in relation to practice assurance and/or the requirements of MLR 2017 (or any similar legislation).
When we use third-party service providers, we only disclose to them any personal information that is necessary for them to provide their service and we have a contract in place that requires them to keep your information secure and not to use it, other than in accordance with our specific instructions.
We may transfer your personal information to a third party as part of a sale of some or all of our business and assets to any third party, or as part of any business restructuring or reorganisation. We may also transfer your personal information if we are under a duty to disclose or share it to comply with any legal obligation, to detect or report a crime, to enforce or apply the terms of our contracts, or to protect the rights, property or safety of our visitors and customers. We will always take steps to ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected.
Where we store your personal information
All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers which are located within the European Economic Area (EEA).
If at any time we transfer your personal information to or store it in, countries located outside of the EEA (for example, if our hosting services provider changes) we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for that transfer and storage as required by applicable law. This is because some countries outside of the EEA do not have adequate data protection laws equivalent to those in the EEA.
If you use our services whilst you are outside the EEA, your information may be transferred outside the EEA to provide you with those services.
Data security
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your information when and if transmitted to our website and, accordingly, any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your personal information, we put in place reasonable and appropriate controls to ensure that it remains secure against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, or unauthorised access.
The company has internal policies and controls in place to try to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or disclosed, and is not accessed except by its directors and employees in the performance of their duties. All our systems have appropriate security in place that complies with all applicable legislative and regulatory requirements.
We have procedures in place to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you (and any applicable regulator) of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.
Our website
Our website may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. This statement does not apply to those other websites‚ so we encourage you to read their privacy statements. We cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of other websites even if you access them using links that we provide.
In addition, if you linked to our website from a third-party website, we cannot be responsible for the privacy policies and practices of the owners and operators of that third party website and recommend that you check the policy of that third party website.
Cookies
Like many other websites, our website uses cookies (including Google Analytics cookies to obtain an overall view of visitor habits and visitor volumes to our website. Their privacy policies can be viewed directly on the Google website).
‘Cookies’ are small pieces of information sent to your computer or device and stored on its hard drive to allow our websites to recognise you when you visit. It is possible to switch off cookies in your browser preferences.
Our marketing
We may collect your preferences to receive marketing information directly from us by email, post, and phone in the following ways:
- if you make a sales enquiry, either by phone, via our website, email, or any other method, or place / enter a contract with us, we may contact you with marketing information in the ways mentioned in the notices presented to you (except where you indicate you would prefer otherwise).
- if we meet you at an event and you give us your contact information or invite us to contact you, we may contact you by one of the methods you have given to us to share marketing information.
From time to time, we may ask you to refresh your marketing preferences by asking you to confirm that you consent to continue receiving marketing information from us.
We may contact you with marketing information by post or by telephone or with targeted advertising delivered online through social media and platforms operated by other companies, by using your personal information or use your personal information to tailor marketing to improve its relevance to you unless you object.
Your Rights
You have several rights concerning your personal information under data protection law. In relation to certain rights, we may ask you for information to confirm your identity and, where applicable, to help us to search for your personal information. Except in rare cases, we will respond to you within one month from either (i) the date that we have confirmed your identity or (ii) where we do not need to do this because we already have this information, from the date we received your request.
Accessing your personal information
You have the right to ask for a copy of the information that we hold about you by emailing or writing to us at the address at the end of this policy. We may not provide you with a copy of your personal information if this concerns other individuals, or we have another lawful reason to withhold that information.
Correcting and updating your personal information
The accuracy of your information is important to us and we are working on ways to make it easier for you to review and correct the information that we hold about you. In the meantime, if you change your name or address/email address, or you discover that any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date, please let us know by contacting us using the details described at the end of this policy.
Erasing your personal information or restricting its processing
In certain circumstances, you may ask for your personal information to be removed from our systems by emailing or writing to us at the address at the end of this policy. Unless there is a reason that the law allows us to use your personal information for longer, we will make reasonable efforts to comply with your request.
You may also ask us to restrict processing your personal information where you believe it is unlawful for us to do so, you have objected to its use and our investigation is pending, or you require us to keep it in connection with legal proceedings. In these situations, we may only process your personal information whilst its processing is restricted if we have your consent or are legally permitted to do so, for example for storage purposes, to protect the rights of another individual or company or in connection with legal proceedings.
Transferring your personal information in a structured data file (‘data portability’)
Where we rely on your consent as the legal basis for processing your personal information or need to process it in connection with your contract, you may ask us to provide you with a copy of that information in a structured data file. We will provide this to you electronically in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable form, such as a CSV file.
You can ask us to send your personal information directly to another service provider, and we will do so if this is technically possible. We may not provide you with a copy of your personal information if this concerns other individuals or we have another lawful reason to withhold that information.
Withdrawing your consent
Where you have consented to our processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Please inform us immediately if you wish to withdraw your consent.
Where we rely on your consent as the legal basis for processing your personal information, you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us using the details at the end of this policy.
Please note:
- if you withdraw your consent, our use of your personal information before you withdraw is still lawful
- if you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to continue to provide services to you
- even if you withdraw your consent, it may remain lawful for us to process your data on another legal basis (e.g. because we have a legal obligation to continue to process your data).
If you would like to withdraw your consent to receiving any direct marketing to which you previously opted-in, you can do so using our unsubscribe tool.
Complaints
If you have requested details of the information we hold about you and you are not happy with our response, or you think we have not complied with the GDPR or DPA 2018 in some other way, you can complain to us. Please send any complaints to dataprotection@periscopegroup.co.uk
You have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are concerned about the way we have processed your personal information. Please visit the ICO’s website for further details.
Changes to this policy
We may review this policy from time to time and any changes will be notified to you by posting an updated version on our website. Any changes will take effect 7 days after the date on which we post the modified terms on our website. We recommend you regularly check for changes and review this policy whenever you visit our website. If you do not agree with any aspect of the updated policy, you must immediately notify us and cease using our services.
Contact us
Please direct any queries about this policy, or about the way we process your personal information to our Data Protection team using our contact details below.
Our email address for data protection queries is dataprotection@periscopegroup.co.uk
If you would prefer to speak to us by phone, please call +44 (0)1295 812521.
