Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice (Website, Clients & Cookies)

Askews (“we”, “us”, “our”), the trading name of Furzewood Ltd, is committed to protecting the privacy of our website visitors, prospective clients, and existing clients. This notice explains how we collect, use, share, store and protect your personal data. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This merged notice covers both:

Website Privacy Notice – for visitors to our website
Client Privacy Notice – for clients or individuals who interact with us in the course of providing services
Cookie Notice – how we use cookies and your rights under PECR (e‑privacy rules)

1. Who We Are

Askews is the trading name of:
Furzewood Ltd
Company Number: 06619680
Registered Office: 5 The Quadrant, Coventry, CV1 2EL
Contact email: info@askews.co
Phone: 02476 231000

Privacy enquiries: info@askews.co

We are a Data Controller responsible for how and why we process your personal data.

2. The Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on your relationship with us.

2.1 Website visitors

We may collect:

IP address
Browser type/version
Device details
Pages you visit
Length of visit
Navigation paths
Referral sources

This is collected via analytics tools and cookies.

2.2 Clients and client contacts

We may collect:

Name
Job title
Organisation
Address
Email address
Telephone numbers
Copies of correspondence
Information about your income and tax affairs (where relevant)
Information required for accountancy, tax, advisory, payroll or compliance services

(Sourced from you directly or from your organisation.)

3. Why We Process Your Data & Our Lawful Bases

Under UK GDPR we must tell you our lawful basis for each processing activity. The ICO requires a clear explanation linking purpose → data → lawful basis.

A detailed table mapping each processing activity to its lawful basis is provided in Section 12.

In summary:

3.1 Website visitors

Purpose: Monitor and improve our website
Lawful basis: Legitimate interests (service improvement)

3.2 Providing accountancy, tax and advisory services

If you are a private individual / sole trader / partnership:
→ Contract and legal obligation

If you act on behalf of a company or organisation:
→ Legitimate interests (providing services to our clients)

3.3 Additional legitimate interests applied to all

Direct marketing (email, phone — subject to opt‑out rules)
Account management
Risk management and insurance
Obtaining professional advice

3.4 Legal obligations

We may process personal data to meet legal duties such as:

Anti‑money laundering requirements
HMRC compliance
Record retention required by law
Responding to court orders or statutory requests

3.5 Vital interests

Only where absolutely necessary (rare).

4. Marketing & the Telephone Preference Service (TPS / CTPS)

If your number is on TPS or CTPS, we will only call you for marketing purposes if you have given explicit consent.

You may opt out of marketing at any time:
info@askews.co

5. Where We Obtain Your Data

Directly from you
From your employer or organisation
From your use of our website
From analytics tools
From professional advisers (if you authorise this)

6. Sharing Your Data

We may share your data with:

HMRC, local authorities, and other statutory bodies where required by law
Third‑party software providers (e.g., accounting, payroll, document storage, CRM, email, cloud hosting)
Professional advisers and insurers

All third‑party processors act only on our instructions.

7. International Transfers

Some service providers may store or process data outside the UK/EU (e.g., US‑based cloud systems).

Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards such as:

UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)
UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses
EU Standard Contractual Clauses where compatible

8. Retention Periods

We keep your personal data only as long as necessary.
Your specific retention schedule must be updated in the table in Section 12.

Current policy:

Client contact details: 7 years after last advice
Correspondence / income / tax‑affairs documents: 7 years after last advice
Website usage data: 3 months
General enquiries: up to 1 year

Legal or regulatory obligations may require longer retention.

9. Your Rights (UK GDPR)

You have the right to:

Access your personal data
Request corrections
Request erasure (where applicable)
Restrict processing
Object to processing (including direct marketing)
Data portability
Withdraw consent (if processing relies on consent)
Lodge a complaint with the ICO

ICO website: https://ico.org.uk
ICO helpline: 0303 123 1113

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational controls to protect your data.
No online transmission is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Third‑Party Websites

Our website may contain links to third‑party sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices.

12. Mandatory ICO‑Style Table

ICO Table: Askews GDPR Processing Register (Website + Clients)

13. Cookies

13.1 What are cookies?

Small text files used to store information on your device.

13.2 Cookies we use

Our website uses the following categories of cookies:

Essential cookies
These cookies are required for the website to function properly. They enable core features such as page navigation, security, and form submissions. These cookies cannot be disabled through our site.

Examples may include:
• Session cookies used to maintain secure browsing
• Security cookies used to protect against malicious activity

Analytics cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our website so that we can improve the user experience.

We may use Google Analytics to collect information such as:
• Pages visited
• Time spent on the website
• Browser type and device information
• General geographic location (country/region level)

This data is aggregated and does not directly identify individual users.

Marketing cookies (if enabled)
Marketing cookies may be used to track visitors across websites to display relevant advertising. These cookies will only be activated if you give consent through our cookie banner.

We do not currently run advertising tracking cookies unless explicitly enabled in the future.

13.3 Cookie Consent (PECR)

We follow the ICO’s requirements:

Non‑essential cookies require opt‑in consent
“Accept all” and “Reject all” options must be equally prominent
You may withdraw consent at any time
Cookie settings must be accessible

13.4 Managing cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can choose to block cookies, delete existing cookies, or set your browser to warn you before cookies are stored. The steps for doing this vary depending on your browser and device.

You can find up‑to‑date guidance for managing cookies in the links below:

Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647?hl=en
Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences
Opera: http://www.opera.com/help/tutorials/security/cookies/
Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/17442/windows-internet-explorer-delete-manage-cookies
Safari: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH21411
Microsoft Edge: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10-microsoft-edge-and-privacy

Please note:

Blocking all cookies may impact website functionality, and some features may not work correctly.
If you block or delete cookies, you may not be able to use all areas of our website.

You can also change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the Cookie Settings link available in the footer of our website or by adjusting your preferences through the cookie banner.

13.5 Children’s Data

Our website and services are not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data relating to individuals under 16.

14. Automated Decision‑Making

We do not use automated decision‑making.

15. Changes to This Notice

We may update this notice at any time. The latest version will always be published on our website.

16. How to Contact Us

Askews
5 The Quadrant
Coventry
CV1 2EL

Email: info@askews.co
Phone: 02476 231000