Service being provided

Worcester Cemeteries provides the following services:

  • burial and cremation services
  • purchase and management of burial plots and grave spaces
  • maintenance and care of cemeteries and memorial areas
  • memorial installation, renewal, and safety inspections
  • grave ownership records and related enquiries
  • support and advice for bereaved families and representatives
  • administration of cemetery registers and statutory records.

Categories of personal data we need to collect

  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact Details
  • Financial
  • Date of Birth
  • Gender
  • Children/Dependants
  • Audio Recording
  • Video Recording
  • Personal Documentation (e.g. Death certificate)
  • Linked Identifiers (e.g. National Insurance Number/Driving License Number)

Consequences of failing to provide personal data

If you do not provide the required personal data, it may delay or prevent us from providing you with our services.

Data Controller and Processors

The Data Controller is Worcester City Council. 

The Data Protection Officer for Worcester City Council can be contacted at data.protection@worcester.gov.uk  

HSBC Global Payments and Malvern Hills District Council are Data Processor supporting this purpose. 

Purpose of Processing

Service delivery of bereavement and cremation services.

Lawful basis for processing personal data

  • Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR – processing is necessary for the performance of a contract (burial or cremation arrangements and related payments), and
  • Article 6(1)(e) UK GDPR – processing is necessary for the performance of tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority, including the statutory duty to maintain cemetery, burial, and cremation records.

Local authorities must keep certain burial and cremation records by law, including:

  • burial registers
  • grave ownership records
  • cremation records
  • statutory registers relating to deaths and cremations

These duties arise under legislation such as:

  • the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977
  • the Burial Act 1857
  • the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008
  • the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953
  • the Cremation Act 1902

Lawful basis for processing special category data

  • Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR and Schedule 1, Part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018 – processing necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, including statutory burial and cremation functions;
  • Article 9(2)(b) UK GDPR – processing necessary for social protection purposes (for example, concessions or support for bereaved families);
  • Article 9(2)(c) UK GDPR – where necessary to protect vital interests;
  • Explicit consent is relied upon only where optional audio or video recordings are proposed.

Source of data

We collect personal information directly from you in most cases. In some circumstances, we may receive information from third parties, such as other public authorities, agents acting on your behalf e.g. funeral directors, or publicly available sources, where lawful and necessary.

Who we share the information with

  • We are legally required to create, maintain, and retain burial and cremation registers and related statutory records. Some information contained within these registers may be:
  • shared with relevant public bodies (such as registrars, Ministry of Justice, coroners, medical professionals or the courts), or
  • made available for inspection where required by law.

Personal data will not be shared more widely unless there is a legal requirement to do so.

Details of data transfers outside the UK and safeguards in place

We do not routinely transfer data outside of the UK. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual clauses.

Automated decision making

We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling in relation to this processing.

How long we hold your information

We will only keep your information for the minimum period necessary. Some burial and cremation records are required by law to be kept permanently and cannot be deleted. The information outlined in this privacy notice will be kept in accordance with our retention schedule. All information will be held securely and destroyed under confidential conditions.

Your rights

You have rights under UK GDPR, including the right to:

  • access your personal information
  • ask us to correct incorrect or incomplete information
  • ask for your information to be deleted (in certain circumstances)
  • restrict how your information is used
  • object to certain uses of your information
  • request your information in a commonly used format (data portability)
  • understand and challenge automated decisions and profiling

We may not always be able to agree to a request if the law requires us to keep or use your information.

Individual’s right to withdraw consent at any time

Where your personal information is processed on the basis of consent (e.g. audio or video recordings), you have the right to withdraw this consent at any time.

Complaints and further information

If you have questions or concerns about how your information is used, please contact the Data Protection Officer:

Email:        data.protection@worcester.gov.uk
Phone:      01905 722233

Postal address:  

Data Protection Officer
Worcester City Council
The Guildhall
High Street
Worcester
WR1 2EY

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website:   https://www.ico.org.uk

Phone:      0303 123 1113

Postal address:  

Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF

Changes to this notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website.