— Legal · VAR/WEB/08

Privacy notice

Last updated: 27 April 2026 · Version 1.0

This notice sets out how I, as the data controller for Varnham Consulting Ltd, process personal data. It is written under Articles 13 and 14 of the UK GDPR. If anything here is unclear, the intake form is the right place to ask.

1. Who I am

Varnham Consulting Ltd is the data controller for the personal data described in this notice. The company is registered in England with Companies House and registered with the Information Commissioner's Office under registration number ZA000000.

The Data Protection Officer is Matthew Varnham. To contact me on any matter relating to this notice — including exercising any of your rights — use the intake form on the contact page and select the appropriate option (option 9 for general privacy enquiries, option 10 for complaints, option 11 for subject access requests).

2. What personal data I collect

I collect different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with the consultancy:

Enquiries via the intake form

Name, email address, telephone number, the nature of your enquiry, and any optional notes you provide. This is the minimum needed to respond to your enquiry.

Clients during engagement

Contact details for your nominated points of contact, organisational and compliance information you provide as part of the engagement, and records of advice given. Where engagement involves processing personal data on your behalf as a processor, that data is governed by a separate Article 28 data processing agreement and is not described in this notice.

Subscribers to the monthly outlook briefing

Name and email address. Subscription is by explicit opt-in via the intake form (option 12 or by direct request) and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Website visitors

Technical data via cookies. See the cookie policy for details. The website does not use marketing or advertising cookies.

Prospects identified through publicly available sources

Where I identify potential clients through publicly available sources — Companies House, the ICO Register, the Charity Commission register, professional directories — I may hold name, job title, organisation, and business contact details for the purpose of considering whether to make a referral introduction. Prospects identified this way are processed under legitimate interests and have specific rights of objection.

3. Why I process the data and the lawful bases

Enquiries

Lawful basis: legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR, where the legitimate interest is responding to your enquiry. The legitimate interests assessment is documented and reviewed annually.

Client services

Lawful basis: contract performance under Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR — processing is necessary for the performance of the services agreement, or to take steps prior to entering into it.

Outlook briefing subscribers

Lawful basis: consent under Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR. Subscription is opt-in and you can withdraw consent at any time.

Prospects

Lawful basis: legitimate interests under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR for B2B referral introductions, in accordance with PECR for any direct contact made.

Analytics

Lawful basis: consent — placed only where you have accepted analytics cookies via the cookie banner.

4. Who I share the data with

I do not sell personal data. I share personal data with the following categories of recipient, where necessary for the purposes set out above:

  • Hosting and email providers (Microsoft 365)
  • Cloud storage providers (Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive)
  • Professional advisers (legal, accountancy, insurance)
  • Associate consultants where engaged on a specific matter, under appropriate written agreements
  • Regulators where required by law (the ICO; sector regulators where the engagement is in a regulated sector)

I do not transfer personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.

5. International transfers

Where my providers process personal data outside the UK — primarily Microsoft, which may process data in the EU or the US — appropriate safeguards are in place under the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or under adequacy regulations made by the Secretary of State.

6. How long I keep the data

I retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above, then delete it. Specific retention periods are:

  • Enquiries: 12 months from the date of last contact, then deleted unless our engagement has progressed to a contractual relationship
  • Clients: for the duration of the engagement, plus 7 years from the date of the last service provided (aligned to the limitation period under the Limitation Act 1980 and professional indemnity requirements)
  • Outlook briefing subscribers: until you unsubscribe
  • Prospects: 12 months from the date of last contact
  • Complaints records: 7 years from the date of the complaint, in line with sector record-keeping expectations
  • Subject access request records: 1 year from the date of fulfilment, in line with ICO guidance

The full schedule is documented in the Records Retention Schedule (an internal document; available on request).

7. Your rights

You have the following rights under the UK GDPR, exercisable through the intake form on the contact page:

  • Right of access — to know what personal data I hold about you and to receive a copy
  • Right to rectification — to have inaccurate or incomplete data corrected
  • Right to erasure — to have personal data deleted in certain circumstances
  • Right to restriction — to have processing limited in certain circumstances
  • Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
  • Right to object — to processing based on legitimate interests, or for direct marketing purposes
  • Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent
  • Rights related to automated decision-making — though I do not undertake automated decision-making with legal or similarly significant effects

I will respond to any rights request within one calendar month, as required by Article 12(3) UK GDPR. If a request is complex or part of a series of requests, I may extend the response period by up to two further months and will write to you within the first month to explain why.

8. Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how I have processed your personal data, please tell me first — using the intake form, option 10. The formal complaints procedure is documented separately and available on the complaints page. The procedure was established under section 164A of the Data Protection Act 2018, as inserted by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. The ICO recommends raising concerns with the data controller first.

9. Changes to this notice

I may update this notice from time to time to reflect changes to my processing or to legal requirements. The latest version, with the date it was updated, will always be on this page. Material changes that affect your rights will be communicated separately to existing clients and subscribers.

10. Contact

For any question about this notice, or to exercise any of your rights, use the intake form on the contact page. Direct contact details are not displayed on the website by design — the intake form ensures every enquiry is captured, classified, and responded to consistently and within a documented compliance framework.