Pentland communications: Privacy policy

November 2024 

About this policy 

This Privacy Policy has been prepared in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into force on 25 May 2018. 

The Information Commissioner’s Office states that a privacy policy needs to include the following information: 

  • Who you are; 

  • What you are going to do with personal data; and 

  • Who it will be shared with. 

Who we are 

Pentland Communications is a specialist planning communications company that provides the following core services: 

  • Media Management; 

  • Public Affairs; 

  • Public Consultation; 

  • Stakeholder and Political Engagement; 

  • Party Conference Support; 

  • Political, Media and Intelligence Monitoring. 

For further information about us, including a full list of services, clients and staff, please visit https://www.pentlandcomms.co.uk/about/ 

How we use personal data and who it is shared with 

Pentland Communications uses personal information in the following four ways: 

1. Pentland contact database 

This is an internal database used for business related contact and is stored on secure servers within the Pentland office. The database only holds contact information – name, job title, company name, address, email and phone numbers – of clients, associates and other relevant contacts for our business. It does not hold any personal information and we do not have or utilise a CRM system. 

This information is never shared with any third party whatsoever. 

2. Pentland Communications Updates 

We often issue client updates which are circulated by email. The recipients of this email are or have been either clients or associates of Pentland, hold political or officer positions within local authorities with emails sent to their official email address, or have added themselves to be a subscriber.  Any new subscribers will have a double opt-in process, requiring them to enter their email address and then click on a link sent to that email to confirm their subscription. 

Pentland communications gathers statistics from Campaign Monitor around opening rates to help us monitor and improve our newsletters. The list of email addresses held within Campaign Monitor for the purposes of distributing the newsletter is never shared with any third party whatsoever. For more information, please see Campaign Monitor’s privacy policy. 

3. Consultation specific information 

Pentland regularly organises public exhibitions, design workshops or other engagement meetings as part of community consultation activities on behalf of our clients, for example where they are proposing new development. We are required to collect consultation data in respect of these proposals so that feedback from the local community can be assessed and summarised within any future planning application documents. 

Any such information gathered is only and exclusively used for the purpose of that consultation and no personal or other such data is transferred either to the Pentland contact database or to the Campaign Monitor database for Pentlands updates.  Information gathered may be shared with the client commissioning the work, the core consultant team working on the project and the local authority where any planning application is being submitted, but is never shared with any third parties. Where we are collecting name and contact information we have a consent box on all such forms where anyone leaving their details has to specifically opt-in to receive further information. Even where they do so they will only be kept informed about progress with the specific consultation and development being consulted upon and not used for any other purpose. 

4. YourViews 

Pentland runs a digital online engagement offer called YourViews.  The platform gathers public opinion on proposals so that our clients better understand local issues and shape their proposals accordingly.   We provide digital platforms to seek views of local communities, and we utilise existing digital tools to support our campaigns. 

Why do we ask for you data? - We ask questions to local communities in order to better understand the demographics and characteristics of those responding to our surveys.  

What information do we collect from you? – the data we ask for varies from project to project.  We may ask for: 

  • Information relating to you - your name and address, email address. This is important to ensure our platform is used for real feedback and not bots. 

  • Postcode: this helps map out where respondents are from 

  • Age: this helps us understand which age group have been reached 

  • General information: this is information bespoke to the project and this wil be stored in a project specific database. 

How we use the information we collect? – We will use the information you provide collectively with all other views received to provide insight for our clients to help them shape and develop their proposals.   The information provided will be handled and used solely by Pentland Communications and any information gathered is only and exclusively used for the purpose of that consultation.  Information gathered may be shared with the client commissioning the work, the core consultant team working on the project and the local authority where proposals are located.  Details are never shared with any third parties.  

5. Job applications to Pentland communications 

We process personal data relating to those who apply for job vacancies with us or who send speculative job applications to us. We do this for employment purposes, to assist us in the selection of candidates for employment and to assist in the running of the business. The personal data may include identifiers such as name, date of birth, personal characteristics such as gender, qualifications and previous employment history. 

We will not share any identifiable information with third parties without the consent of the individual concerned unless the law requires us to do so. The personal data provided during an application process will be retained for a period of at least six months or, if required by law, for as long as is required. 

If you would like to know the information we hold for you, or would like to have your details removed from our records, please contact barriecunning@pentlandcomms.co.uk 

We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on 18 November 2024.