Privacy Policy

The statement below describes in detail how Blinkhorns uses and collects your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act (1998 or 2018) and all other national implanting laws, regulations and secondary legislations – as amended and updated accordingly in the UK.

Please read below carefully to fully understand how we use your data.

About Us

BLINKHORNS is an accountancy, tax and business advisory firm. We are a partnership and our offices are at 27 MORTIMER STREET, LONODN, W1T 3BL.

For the purposes of this privacy statement we are the DATA CONTROLLER. We are responsible for deciding how we hold and use your personal data. Under GDPR legislation we are required to notify you on the information contained below.

Collecting your Personal Data

We obtain personal data about you from the following:

• You instruct us to act in respect of the services we provide
• You or your employer engages us to provide our services
• You contact us via email, telephone or post
• From publicly available resources e.g. Companies House or your employer

Information We Hold

Any personal data we hold about you may include but is not limited to:

• Full name
• Contact details – mobile numbers, email addresses, office/home addresses
• National Insurance Numbers
• Employment History
• Employee Numbers
• Credit History
• Personal Tax
• Payroll & Accounting data

Sensitive Data

Any data we may hold on you in respect of the services we provide may include but is not limited to:

• Medical conditions
• Racial or ethnic origins
• Convictions
• Biometric data e.g. photo in an electronic passport/driving license

How Blinkhorns uses your Personal Data and why

BLINKHORNS takes your privacy very seriously and we will only use your personal data to provide services in which you have requested as stated in your LETTER OF ENGAGEMENT and the supporting SCHEDULES. We will only use this information subject to your instructions.

We may process your personal data for the purposes of our own legitimate interests, provided that those legitimate interests do not override any of your own interests, rights and freedoms which require the protection of personal data.

We may receive personal and sensitive (biometric) data from you for the purposes of our money laundering and client checks, for example, a copy of your passport or driving license. This data will only be processed for the purposes of preventing money laundering, terrorist financing or as otherwise permitted by law or with your express consent.

Our work for you may require us to pass your information to our third-party service providers, agents, subcontractors and other associated organisations for the purposes of completing tasks and providing the services needed to you on our behalf. However, when we use third party service providers, we disclose only the personal information which is necessary to deliver the services and we have contracts in place that requires our third parties to keep your information secure and not to use it for their own direct marketing purposes.

We will not share your information for marketing purposes with companies under any circumstances.

Transferring your information outside of Europe

As part of the services offered to you at BLINKHORNS, the information which you give to us may be transferred to countries outside the European Union (“EU”). For example, some of our third party providers may be located outside of the EU.

Where this is the case we will take steps to make sure the right security measures are taken so that your privacy rights continue to be protected as outlined in this policy. By submitting your personal data, you are agreeing to this transfer, storing and/or processing.

Where our third party supplies are in the US we have ensured that their services fall under the “Privacy Shield” whereby participating companies are deemed to have adequate protection and therefore facilitate the transfer of information from the EU to the US.

If you use our services while you are outside the EU, your information may be transferred outside the EU to give you those services.

Security Precautions

BLINKHORNS take steps to make sure that the data you provide us with is treated securely. Any sensitive information required to be sent you via email will be sent encrypted and is securely protected with Proofpoint.

Non-sensitive details (e.g. email address) are sent un-encrypted over email. This can never said to be 100% secure and as a result of this BLINKHORNS strives to protect your personal information with secure security systems and procedures, we cannot however guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk.

How long we hold your data for

Any contractual services provided by BLINKHORNS and any data required for those services will be held for 7 years in line with the ICAEW regulatory requirements.

If at any point you do not wish for BLINKHORNS to hold your data for example, termination of your contracted services with us then you have the right to ask us to delete any information we hold on you unless otherwise obligatory under our own regulations.

Under the “Subject Access Request” you have the right to ask for a copy of the information which we hold about you. If this is the case, please write to the following address:

Email:                david.cramer@blinkhorns.co.uk / gregg.thomas@blinkhorns.co.uk

Written:               Blinkhorns

                           27 Mortimer Street

                           London

                           W1T 3BL

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are processing your personal data not in accordance with the law you can complain to the Information Commissioners Office on: www.ico.org.uk

Objections to processing of personal data

It is your right to lodge an objection to the processing of your personal data if you feel the “grounds relating to your particular situations” apply. The only reason we will be able to deny your request is if we can show compelling legitimate grounds for the processing, which override your interest, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal claims.