Data Protection Advice

Expert data protection advice, only when you need it

Ad-hoc, on-demand support for parish and town councils that need a clear, practical answer on a specific data protection question or situation. No annual subscription, no retainer — just direct access to our experts when something lands on the clerk's desk.

Book an Advice Call › See how it works

What it is

Expert advice on demand, when you actually need it

Data Protection Advice gives your council direct, named access to our specialist team for one-off, situation-specific guidance. There is no annual subscription, no long-term commitment and no hourly billing surprises — you ask the question, we agree the scope, and you get a clear, plain-English answer you can act on. It is the right fit for councils that already have most of the basics in place but want expert input on a specific issue, decision or document, rather than a full ongoing service.

What you can ask about

The kinds of questions councils bring us

If a data protection question makes you pause — or you want a second opinion before the council acts — that is exactly when this service helps.

A specific question

"Can we share this resident's details with the County Council?" "Are we allowed to publish these names in the minutes?" "Do we need consent for this photo?" We give a clear, jargon-free answer with the reasoning your council can record.

A tricky situation

A Subject Access Request, an FOI or EIR request, a complaint about how personal data has been handled, a possible data breach, or a CCTV or photography query at a council event. We help you handle it confidently and proportionately.

A document review

An expert read of a privacy notice, retention schedule, consent wording, contractor agreement, data sharing arrangement or similar — with practical, council-ready suggestions to tighten it up.

How it works

A simple, low-friction way to get advice

Designed to be easy to use whenever a question lands on the clerk's desk — without lengthy onboarding or a long-term contract.

Tell us the question

A short call or email to outline the situation, what your council needs to decide, and any deadline you are working to. We confirm the scope and a fixed price before any work starts.

We give a clear answer

Our specialists respond with practical, plain-English advice, including the relevant references from UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act and ICO guidance — written so the clerk and councillors can read it and act on it.

Follow up if you need to

A short follow-up call or email is included so you can sanity-check next steps, share the advice with councillors, and ask any quick clarifying questions before you act.

What is included

A clear, fixed-scope piece of advice each time you ask

Each advice request is scoped on its own merits. Pricing is confirmed up front, in writing, before any work starts — so the council always knows exactly what it is committing to.

✓A short scoping call or email exchange to make sure we are answering the right question

✓A fixed, agreed price for the piece of advice — no hourly billing or surprise invoices

✓Direct access to our specialist data protection team, who work exclusively with the council sector

✓Written, plain-English guidance with the relevant UK GDPR, DPA and ICO references for your records

✓A short follow-up call or email so the clerk and councillors can ask quick clarifying questions

✓A clear note of when wider, ongoing support — such as the Data Protection Toolkit or a Healthcheck — would be a better fit, with no obligation

Need an answer urgently?

If a request, complaint or potential breach is on a deadline, call us on 01903 299000 and let us know. We do our best to turn around urgent advice quickly — and to give you a holding answer the same day where we can.

Have a data protection question you need answered?

Book a quick call and we will explain how the Advice service works, scope your specific question, and confirm what an answer would cost — with no obligation to go ahead.

Call 01903 299000

Frequently asked questions

Use Advice when you have a single, specific question or situation in front of you and want expert input quickly — without taking on an annual subscription. The Data Protection Toolkit is the right fit for councils that want ongoing training, templates and updates. A Healthcheck is the right fit when you want a structured snapshot of the whole picture.

Most non-urgent requests are scoped within one working day and answered within five working days of the scope being confirmed. If your council is on a tight statutory deadline — for example, an SAR or FOI clock — tell us when you get in touch and we will prioritise accordingly.

Each piece of advice is quoted as a fixed price based on the scope of the question, so the council always knows what it is committing to before any work starts. There is no hourly billing, no minimum spend and no annual fee.

No. Any parish or town council is welcome to use the Advice service, whether or not you currently work with us in any other way.

The ad-hoc Advice service is not a Data Protection Officer arrangement and does not replace the council's own decision-making responsibilities. If you would like to talk about wider, ongoing support — including DPO-style services — mention it on the call and we will explain the options.

Yes. Every piece of advice is provided in writing, with the relevant references included, so the clerk has a clear record to share with councillors and to keep on file alongside the council's other governance documents.

We work exclusively with the parish and town council sector across England and Wales, supporting NALC, many County Associations and individual councils directly. That focus means our advice is grounded in how local councils actually operate — not generic corporate templates.