The Local Scope – Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Local Scope is a local news, directory and community website for North Northamptonshire. It is run by Crodo Marketing, the trading name of Kordian Pach, a sole trader based in Raunds, Northamptonshire.

For UK data protection law, Kordian Pach, trading as Crodo Marketing, is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. [ICO registration number: Insert Number or delete sentence if pending]

Contact us about your data

• Email: hello@thelocalscope.co.uk

• Phone: 07936 662037

• Post: Crodo Marketing, c/o Nene Valley Accountancy, 36 Goss Court, High Street, Thrapston, Northants NN14 4JH

This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, how long we keep it and what rights you have. It sits alongside our Publication Policy and Cookies Policy.

2. What we collect, why, and our lawful basis

Fields marked as private in our forms are never shown on the website. You do not have to give us personal data, but without an email address we cannot publish or manage a submission.

3. What we publish and what stays private

Published (visible to anyone):

• business or organisation name, description, public phone, public email, website and social media links;

• the business address, unless you choose to show only the town;

• for a Local Entrepreneur profile: your name, photo, role and town, never your home address;

• event details and the organiser contact details you choose to publish;

• photos you send, after we resize them and remove hidden data such as camera details and GPS location.

Private (seen only by our team):

• the name, email and phone of the person making a submission;

• the contact person at an attraction;

• moderation notes and the history of changes.

We do not sell personal data or share it for other companies’ marketing.

4. Cookies, analytics and spam protection

• Cookies. When you first visit, a banner lets you accept all cookies or only necessary ones. Only necessary cookies are set until you choose. Details are in our Cookies Policy, and you can change your choice at any time with the cookie settings button.

• Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages are read. With your consent it sets cookies and collects pages visited, device and browser type, approximate location (country or city) and how you arrived. Google Analytics 4 does not store IP addresses. Without consent, Google receives only cookieless signals that do not identify you or your device.

• Spam protection. Our forms use Google reCAPTCHA v3, which checks how the page is used to tell people from bots. Google processes this under its own Privacy Policy and Terms. We also count submissions from each connection to limit spam; the IP address is stored only as a scrambled (hashed) value and deleted after 48 hours.

• Postcodes and maps. When you enter a postcode, our server sends only that postcode to postcodes.io to place the entry on the map. The “Nearest to me” button uses your device’s location only inside your browser, after you allow it; your location is not sent to us. Our maps are served from our own server.

5. Who processes data for us

We use these service providers. They process data on our instructions (processors), except where marked as independent controllers.

• Zenbox (Poland): Website hosting and database (Processed in the European Union)

• Google (Workspace): Our email, including emails sent by the website (Processed in the UK, EU and USA)

• Google (Analytics 4, reCAPTCHA): Analytics with consent; spam protection (Processed in the EU and USA)

• MailerLite: Newsletter sign-up and sending (Processed in the EU and USA)

• postcodes.io: Converting a postcode into map coordinates – postcode only (Processed in the UK)

• Stripe, PayPal: Sponsor package payments – independent controllers (Processed in the UK, EU and USA)

• Buy Me a Coffee: Voluntary support payments – independent controller (Processed in the USA)

We may also disclose data where the law requires it, for example to HMRC or in response to a court order.

International transfers. Some providers process data outside the UK. Transfers to the European Union rely on UK adequacy regulations. Transfers to the USA rely on the UK–US data bridge where the provider is certified, or on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses.

6. How long we keep data

• Submission not confirmed by email: Deleted after 7 days

• Submission we decline: Deleted when declined, including photos

• Submission on hold waiting for your reply: Deleted after 30 days without a reply

• Directory listing: While published; renewed every 12 months. If not renewed, hidden and restorable for 90 days, then deleted.

• Event: While published; hidden automatically once the event has finished and deleted after 12 months.

• Attraction and its contact person: While published, and until the place asks us to remove it.

• Single-use links (confirmation, update, renewal): Deleted 7 days after they expire

• Anti-spam counter (hashed IP): 48 hours

• Record of moderation actions: 12 months

• Emails sent by the website (delivery log): 30 days

• Contact enquiries and emails: Up to 2 years after our last contact, unless needed longer for a live matter.

• Material sent for publication: Original files deleted after publication or once we decide not to use them; published versions stay while online.

• Newsletter subscription: Until you unsubscribe; then only a suppression record so we do not email you again.

• Sponsor invoices and payment records: As long as HMRC requires (at least 5 years after the 31 January deadline for the relevant tax year).

• Analytics data: 14 months.

When you ask us to remove a listing, event or attraction, we delete it and your private details within 5 working days, unless we must keep something by law.

7. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you can ask us to:

• give you a copy of your personal data;

• correct inaccurate data;

• delete your data;

• restrict or object to how we use it, including objecting to processing based on legitimate interests;

• send your data to you or another organisation in a portable format;

• stop using your data where we rely on consent (this does not affect what we did before).

Email hello@thelocalscope.co.uk. We will reply within one month, and may ask you to confirm your identity first. You can update your own listings at any time through the “Update your listing” page.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113.

8. Journalism and confidential sources

As a local news publisher, we may process personal data for journalism. Some data protection rights may not apply where UK law allows it for journalistic purposes and publication is in the public interest. We protect confidential sources and do not reveal a source’s identity without their consent, unless the law requires it. We do not publish private individuals’ names or identifying details in our stories without their permission, unless there is a clear public interest.

9. Children

Our forms are for adults. You must be 18 or over to submit a listing, event or attraction. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children; if you think a child has sent us data, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Security

The website uses encrypted connections (HTTPS). Access to the admin area is limited to our team. Photos sent through our forms are checked and stored in a protected folder until they are approved. Single-use links are stored only in scrambled (hashed) form, and we keep only the data we need.

11. Automated decisions

We do not make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects about you by automated means. Our spam filters may flag a submission for a person to review.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy when our website or the law changes. The date below shows the latest version. If a change significantly affects how we use your data, we will tell affected listing owners by email.

Last updated: 24 September 2026