Information held about you

To provide bereavement services to you, it is necessary for us to collect and hold personal information about you. This information collected and held will vary and depend on the nature of the services used.

Examples of the bereavement services in which personal information will be gathered are:

  • Cremation, burial and memorial applications
  • Transfer of exclusive rights of burial
  • Correspondence

This information will include:

  • Basic details about you such as address, telephone number, email address on cremation application forms
  • Basic details about you such as address, telephone number, email address on burial application forms
  • Basic details about you such as address, telephone number, email address on memorial application forms
Who is processing your data

All personal data held, is processed in accordance with data protection law. The data controller for the information outlined in this privacy notice is Herefordshire Council.

How we will use the information we hold about you

We will collect information about you (where applicable) to:

  • Be placed on record as the applicant for a cremation application
  • Be placed on record as the applicant for a burial application
  • To record you are the grantee of an exclusive right of burial
  • To process memorial applications and to send out subsequent memorial renewals
  • To contact you concerning any of the above

We will not share any information to anyone outside of the service without your consent and if you want to see a copy of any information held by the service, please contact us directly.

How the law allows us to use your information

The legal basis for processing the data is:

You are obliged to provide the personal data requested. Possible consequences of failure to provide such information would result delaying your request of service.

Who we will share your information with

We will not normally share your information with organisations other than our partner organisations without your consent. However, there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law, to safeguard public safety, and in risk of harm or emergency situations. We will only share the minimum information for the purpose, on a need to know basis and with appropriate individuals.

How long we keep your personal information

We will only keep your information for the minimum period necessary. The information outlined in this privacy notice will be kept for the amount of time detailed within the bereavement services retention schedule. All information will be held securely and destroyed under confidential conditions.

Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law, including the right to request your information and to request that the information is amended or erased if incorrect.

To request your records, you will need to provide proof of identification and write to the Information Governance Team, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0LE or email informationgovernance@herefordshire.gov.uk

You also have the right to make a complaint about our handling of your personal data to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Providing accurate information
It is important that we hold accurate and up to date information about you to assess your needs and deliver the appropriate services. If any of your details have changed, or change in the future, please tell us so that we can update your records.
Further information

If you have any questions or concerns about how your information is used, please contact bereavement services in the first instance at bereavement@herefordshire.gov.uk

You can also contact the Data Protection Officer, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, Hereford HR4 0LE, email informationgovernance@herefordshire.gov.uk

You can find more information about data protection and how it applies to you on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Service web page
Last updated date
March 2018