Parking services privacy policy

Last Updated: 12 December 2023

We take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you have requested from us or have consented to us providing. To satisfy the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation, we are obliged to make it clear to you how we use your personal data, who we might share it with and to give you certain other information.

Civil Parking Enforcement

Civil Enforcement Officers patrol our car parks and other car parks that we manage under formal agreements. They use handheld devices and/or cameras in order to enforce the parking regulations. Where the regulations have not been followed, your personal data may be collected, processed, shared and kept for six years in order to carry out the performance of a public task and meet our legal obligations in the following ways: 

  • by requesting details of the registered keeper of the vehicle from the DVLA in order to pursue a Penalty Charge Notice.
  • by sharing with the police or security organisations to prevent or detect crime
  • by sharing with third parties for appeals and enforcement. These third parties are:
    • The Traffic Penalty Tribunal
    • Traffic Enforcement Centre
    • Cumbria County Council
    • Pay-by-Phone
    • The Enforcement Agencies Jacobs and Newlyn

Parking Permits

We use the information to process your application and to issue your permit. We may also use it to send you a reminder when your permit is about to run out. We process your information for these purposes so we can carry out the legal function of administering the permit scheme.

You do not have to give us the personal information that we ask for, but if you do not, we will not be able to process your application or issue you with a permit. We will ask for your consent during the application process.

We may also use your information to contact you regarding future parking related issues and to seek your opinion on Parking Services.

How long we keep information

If you have not consented to us contacting you about Parking Services, we will only keep the information you have given us in respect of your permit application until two years after your last parking permit has expired (or for one year after your application if a permit is not granted).

If you have consented to us contacting you about Parking Services, we will keep your information for three years, unless you ask us to stop using it before then.

Who we might share your information with

We will share your information with our Payments Department, and with our bank or payment processing contractor to process your payment. Under direct debit agreements, a mandate with your bank will be set up after written consent.

Under the Serious Crimes Act 2007, we may also share your information with certain anti-fraud agencies for purposes in connection with the prevention of fraud.

We do not share your data outside the European Economic Area or use it for profiling or any other form of automated decision-making.

Contact the data controller

We processes large amounts of personal, special category personal or criminal/law enforcement data, referred to in legislation as a data controller. We are registered with with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

If you have concerns about the way the council has processed your data, please contact us:

  • dataprotection@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk
  • Westmorland and Furness Council, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4DQ

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

View our privacy notification and privacy statement

Your rights

You have the right to request access to information about you that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, contact our Data Protection Officer.

You also have the right to: 

  • object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
  • prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
  • object to decisions being taken by automated means
  • in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
  • claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection regulations 

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.