Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

OurAreaLocal.co.uk is a local online guide that connects residents with independent businesses, local services, offers and useful community information. Our services may include business listings, dedicated business showcase pages, printed A7 promotional cards, competitions and resident adverts.

The organisation responsible for handling your personal information is:

Business name: Mr Bartley
Business address: Unit 693, 109 Vernon House, Friar Lane, Nottingham NG1 6DQ
Email: info@ourarealocal.co.uk

In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to the operator of OurAreaLocal.co.uk.

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with OurAreaLocal. We only intend to collect information that is relevant to the purpose for which it is needed.

2.1 Information You Give Us

This may include information you provide when you:

• Contact us by email, telephone, WhatsApp or a website form.
• Register interest in advertising your business.
• Submit details for a business listing or showcase page.
• Apply to become a Local Representative or Helper.
• Submit a resident advertisement or community announcement.
• Enter a competition or local treasure hunt.
• Make a payment or request an invoice.

Depending on the activity, this may include your name, business name, email address, telephone number, business address, postcode, message, advertisement details and other information you choose to provide.

2.2 Business Listing Information

If you advertise a business with us, we may collect business information such as its name, address, telephone number, opening hours, services, products, photographs, website address, social media links and local offers.

Some business contact information may identify an individual, particularly where the business is operated by a sole trader. Where that information identifies a person, data protection law may apply.

2.3 Information Collected Through Website Use

Depending on the website hosting, security and analytics tools we use, technical information may include your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, approximate location derived from technical information and the date and time of a visit.

We will update this policy if we introduce analytics, tracking or other tools that materially change the information collected.

2.4 Information From Other Sources

We may obtain business information from the business itself, its authorised representative, publicly available business sources or information supplied to us by someone acting on the business's behalf.

Where we obtain personal information from another source, we will provide any privacy information required by law. We will consider the source, relevance and accuracy of that information before using it.

3. How We Use Your Information

We may use personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries and provide customer support.
• Create, update and manage business listings.
• Arrange advertising packages, payments and invoices.
• Contact businesses about their existing advertising arrangements.
• Manage applications from Local Representatives and Helpers.
• Review resident adverts and community submissions.
• Administer competitions and contact winners.
• Maintain website security and prevent misuse.
• Maintain business records and meet legal obligations.
• Understand and improve our website and services, where appropriate.
• Send marketing communications where permitted by law.

We do not intend to use personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the purpose for which it was collected without providing appropriate information and, where required, obtaining consent.

4. Our Legal Reasons for Using Personal Information

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:

• Contract: where information is needed to enter into or fulfil an agreement, such as providing a paid business listing.
• Legitimate interests: where using information is necessary for a legitimate business purpose, such as responding to relevant business enquiries, maintaining records or protecting our website, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
• Legal obligation: where we need to retain or disclose information to comply with the law.
• Consent: where you have freely agreed to a particular use of your information, such as certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies.

The appropriate lawful basis depends on the specific activity. We will provide additional information where necessary, including the relevant legitimate interests where we rely on that basis.

5. Information Published on Our Website

OurAreaLocal is intended to help residents discover local businesses and services. As part of this service, we may publish business information supplied by a business or its authorised representative.

Depending on the listing, publicly displayed information may include a business name, business contact details, address, opening hours, photographs, products, services, offers and social media links.

We aim to publish information for a clear and appropriate purpose. We will not knowingly publish private contact information as public business information without an appropriate basis for doing so.

Businesses should ensure they have permission to provide photographs, contact details and other information for publication. If you believe personal information has been published incorrectly, please contact us so we can review it.

Published information may be copied, cached or indexed by search engines and other third-party services. Removing information from our website may not immediately remove copies held elsewhere.

6. Who We Share Information With

We do not sell personal information to third parties. We may share relevant information where necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

This may include sharing information with:

• Service providers: website hosting, email, form processing, website maintenance and other providers needed to operate our services.
• Payment providers: where a payment processor is used to handle advertising payments. We do not intend to collect or store full payment card details ourselves unless specifically required and appropriately secured.
• Local representatives: relevant business or operational information where necessary for them to manage an area or carry out an agreed role.
• Professional advisers: such as accountants, legal advisers or insurers where reasonably necessary.
• Authorities: where disclosure is required by law or is reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We aim to share only the information reasonably needed for the relevant purpose. Where a service provider processes personal information on our behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure suitable data protection arrangements are in place.

If we introduce a service that involves additional sharing of personal information, we will update this policy where required.

7. WhatsApp, Social Media and External Websites

We may offer contact options through WhatsApp, email, telephone, social media or links to third-party websites.

If you contact us through a third-party service, that provider may process information about you under its own privacy policy and terms. We do not control how independent providers process information within their own services.

Please avoid sending sensitive personal information through ordinary contact forms or messaging services unless it is genuinely necessary.

We encourage you to review the privacy information of any external service you choose to use.

8. Marketing Communications

We may contact businesses about enquiries they have made, advertising they have purchased or arrangements they have asked us to discuss. These communications may be necessary to provide a service or manage an existing business relationship.

We may also wish to send promotional emails, text messages or other marketing communications. Where required, we will obtain consent or ensure another lawful permission applies before sending them.

Marketing rules can differ depending on whether a contact is an individual, sole trader, partnership or limited company, and on the communication method used.

You can object to direct marketing or withdraw marketing consent at any time, as applicable. You can do so by using the unsubscribe option provided or contacting us at [CONTACT EMAIL].

We will keep appropriate records of marketing objections so that we can respect your preferences.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for its operation, security or functionality. If we use analytics, advertising or other non-essential technologies, these may collect information about how visitors use the website.

Where required by law, we will ask for consent before using non-essential cookies or similar technologies. You should be able to make an informed choice and change your preferences where a consent mechanism is provided.

The cookies and technologies actually used will depend on our website configuration and the third-party services we choose to use.

For further information, please see our Cookie Policy.

10. Printed Cards and QR Codes

OurAreaLocal may distribute printed A7 promotional cards containing QR codes or web addresses that direct people to local area pages.

Scanning a QR code will take you to the linked webpage. The website server may process ordinary technical information associated with the visit, such as an IP address and access time.

If we use tracking links or analytics to measure visits generated by printed cards, we will assess the applicable privacy and cookie requirements and provide any additional information or consent mechanism required by law.

11. How Long We Keep Information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including any applicable legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

• Enquiries: kept for as long as needed to respond and deal with any related follow-up.
• Business advertising records: kept while the listing or agreement is active and for an appropriate period afterwards to manage records, disputes and legal obligations.
• Invoices and financial records: retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting law.
• Applications: kept while an application is considered and for a reasonable period afterwards, unless a longer period is justified.
• Resident adverts and competition entries: kept for the period needed to operate the feature, resolve queries and meet relevant obligations.
• Technical and security records: kept for a period appropriate to security, troubleshooting and operational needs.

Actual retention periods will depend on the type of information and the purpose for which it is held. When information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to delete it or otherwise dispose of it securely, unless we have a lawful reason to retain it.

12. How We Protect Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include appropriate access restrictions, secure account practices, software updates, suitable hosting arrangements and the careful handling of information.

No method of transmitting or storing information can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore cannot promise absolute security, but we will take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold.

13. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of your information in certain circumstances.
• Ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances.
• Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
• Request a copy of certain information in a portable format where the right applies.
• Withdraw consent where our processing relies on your consent.
• Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

These rights are not absolute in every situation, and certain legal exceptions may apply.

To exercise a right, contact us at [CONTACT EMAIL]. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will handle your request within the time limits required by law.

You can find more information about your rights at the Information Commissioner's Office website .

14. Children's Privacy

Our services are primarily intended for local residents, consumers and businesses. We do not knowingly seek to collect personal information from children where it is unnecessary for the relevant service.

Some competitions or features may have age restrictions. Where applicable, eligibility requirements will be stated in the relevant terms.

If you believe a child has provided personal information inappropriately, please contact us so that we can review the matter.

15. International Data Transfers

Some of the service providers we use may store or process information outside the United Kingdom.

If personal information is transferred internationally, we will take the steps required by applicable data protection law to ensure that the transfer is permitted and that appropriate safeguards are in place where necessary.

The providers and locations involved will depend on the services we use. We will provide further information about relevant transfers where required by law.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy when our services, technology, legal obligations or information-handling practices change.

The latest version will be published on this page with an updated date. If a significant change requires additional notice or consent, we will take the steps required by law.

We encourage you to review this page occasionally to understand how we handle personal information.