Privacy policy

This privacy policy sets out how the YTKO Group uses and protects any information that you provide to the YTKO Group after you give consent.

YTKO Group is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected and our company is registered (Z5524644) on the Data Protection Public Register of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website or via our support services contractual terms, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.

YTKO Group may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. This policy is effective from October 2023.

What we collect

We may collect some or all of the following information, depending on which of our services you use:

  • name, company name, and job title 
  • contact information including email address and telephone number 
  • demographic information such as postcode, city, and areas of interest 
  • personal information such as age, gender, physical or mental health conditions, disability, education, ethnicity, skills, experience 
  • other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers.
  • business related information, including ownership, registration, location, type of activity, financial information, information relating to directors and employees including employment information such as NI Numbers.

What we do with the information we gather

We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:

  • Internal record keeping for candidate assessment, recruitment, staff HR and payroll
  • Business Support Project reporting and supply of selected data to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) or Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) (for central government funded projects), local councils or combined authorities (for locally funded projects), and our Contract Lead Partner (if applicable).
  • If you have consented for us to do so, we may periodically send you an e-newsletter from the designated project/service or YTKO Group with new or complementary YTKO Group products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided. We can remove this email address at any time on request.
  • From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.
  • We use a number of carefully chosen companies who could also have a copy of some of your data:

GDPR

We take care to always process your data in accordance with the general principles of the GDPR legislation, in particular:

  • We’ll make sure we only process the data in a way that’s compatible with the original purposes for which that data was shared with us. We’ll always be clear with you what that is.
  • It’s important to us that the data we’re holding about you is accurate, and we’ll make sure to fix it quickly if it’s not.

Usually our data processing is on the basis of your “consent” [Article 6, 1 (a)], or otherwise, for government-related contracts, its “public interest” [Article 6, 1 e]. For further information, see: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/a-guide-to-lawful-basis/#what

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online or via our paper forms. We also regularly train and update our staff around the required provisions of GDPR regulation. The US companies we use are all covered by Privacy Shield.

Storage

We are obliged to retain your personal data for the duration of all of our business support service contracts and for auditing and compliance purposes. That’s normally 10 years from when you first contact us, although contracts that involve the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities require us to keep evidence until the end of the year 2036.

Using our websites

Our websites collect the following (non-identifying) information (via Google Analytics):

  • the internet domain and IP addresses from which you access the website
  • the type of browser (for example Internet Explorer or Firefox)
  • the operating system you use (for example, Windows, Macintosh)
  • the date and time of your visit
  • the pages you access

which will also set some cookies.

The Information Commissioner’s Office has information about disabling cookies and/or opting-out of Google Analytics.

Links to other websites

Our websites may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by our privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

ERDF funded projects (historical)

The EU Common Provisions Regulations (CPR), in particular Articles 27.4, 54, 56 of the CPR, and Article 6 of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) regulation require the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) (formerly the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)), as the managing authority for the ERDF programme, to monitor and evaluate all ERDF-funded activities. In order to conduct monitoring and evaluation individual participant data is required.

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is the data controller in respect of information processed which relates to any participation in projects funded by the European Regional Development Fund. We were the lead contractor for some of our business support projects, and therefore the data processor; whilst in others we were a delivery partner and another organisation was the lead contractor and data processor. Each of our projects listed this information on their website.

Depending on the nature of activities of the ERDF-funded project and the indicators listed under each activity, the following information for each beneficiary or indirect beneficiary where these are individuals may be required to be supplied:

  • Name of contact point within a business (in some cases property owner) engaged with or individual engaged with:
    • Address
    • Postcode
    • Phone number
    • Email address
  • Labour market status prior to receiving support and 6 months after receiving support
  • Duration of support
  • Intensity of support

Your details are stored securely and retained in compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and GDPR requirements. The information will also be used to evaluate this project and to report to DLUHC and the European Regional Development Fund for monitoring and evaluation purposes.

Your details will be used to support the ERDF programme research and evaluation activities. DLUHC will need to share all or some of your data with the national evaluator of the ERDF programme. In some cases, the national evaluator, i.e. independent external contractors commissioned by DLUHC, may use the contact details to contact a sample of direct for the purpose of the National Evaluation of the programme. It is likely that the survey methodology will need to incorporate a variety of approaches in order to maximise the survey response rate (for example, telephone survey, written survey, and e-mail survey) ‐ hence the need for a variety of contact details required for each participant. DLUHC may also need to share with other government departments and the European Commission where this is necessary to test the robustness of the data gathered or to inform the National Evaluation.

DLUHC will not give any personal data to any other organisation unless needed for the purpose of the evaluation and will instruct them not to use it to contact individuals for any reasons not connected with the purpose of the National Evaluation of the ERDF programme or other matters directly relating to the evaluation. If DLUHC has to pass on the data, it will only provide what is needed, and if possible will remove the details that might identify individuals personally. DLUHC will not keep your personal data for longer than it needs.

The data collected is your personal data, and you have the right, subject to lawful data requirements:

  • to see what data we have about you;
  • to ask us to stop using your data;
  • to ask us to delete or correct your data;
  • to lodge a complaint with the independent Information Commissioner (ICO) if you think we are not handling your data fairly or in accordance with the law. You can contact the ICO, or telephone 0303 123 1113.

For any information on the above, you can contact DLUHC’s Data Protection Officer at MHCLGkia@icasework.fcos.gsi.gov.uk or by telephone 030 3444 0000.

Controlling your personal information

You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:

  • Whenever you are asked to fill in a paper or electronic form, please check the provisions of the consent wording to ensure that you are happy with how your personal information will be used.
  • If you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by emailing us at remove@ytko.com or directly to any of the designated project teams.
  • Alternatively, please write to us at YTKO Ltd, 150 Minories, London, EC3N 1LS

We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you give us consent that you are happy for this to happen.

You may request details of personal information which we hold about you (a GDPR “Subject Access Request”) or ask us to delete it (a GDPR “Request for erasure”). In the latter case, it may not be possible to delete all your data if it relates to government and other contracts which require us to retain the data for auding purposes. If either case, please contact one of the designated project teams or email info@ytko.com

If you believe that your information we are holding is incorrect or incomplete, let us know (a GDPR “Request for rectification”) at the above addresses or to any of the designated project teams. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.

Questions, comments and requests regarding this privacy policy are welcomed and should be addressed to: info@ytko.com