How we collect, use and protect personal data.
Last updated October 2026
Local Council Audit is a trading name of Acme Advisory Ltd, Chartered Accountants, regulated by ICAEW. Registered in England and Wales, company number 08227886. Registered office: 5th Floor, 167–169 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PF. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, registration number ZB980995.
Acme Advisory Ltd is the controller of the personal data described in this notice. If you have any questions, contact us at jason@localcouncilaudit.com, by phone on 020 3137 2660, or by post to the address above.
This notice covers people who use our website, ask for a quote, download our guides, book a call, attend LCA Academy training or contact us, and the clerks, RFOs and councillors we deal with when we provide services to councils. Most of the people we deal with are acting for a council rather than as private individuals. If we record a live training session, we tell attendees before recording starts.
During an audit we see personal data in a council’s own records, such as payroll or supplier details. The council is the controller of those records. For the personal data we collect and keep as audit evidence, Acme Advisory Ltd is an independent controller, because we decide what evidence we need and must keep it under our professional and legal obligations. Our engagement letter with each council sets out how we protect it.
| What we collect | Why we use it | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Name, role, council, email and phone number from our quote tool, forms and calendar | To give you a fee and proposal, answer questions and arrange calls | Legitimate interests: responding to councils that contact us |
| The details you enter in our quote tool (council size, options chosen) | To calculate your fee and prepare your proposal | Legitimate interests |
| Contact details of the council officers and councillors we work with | To deliver our services, send requests for information and reports, and manage the engagement | Contract with the council, and legitimate interests |
| Information needed to confirm identity and authority | To meet anti-money laundering rules | Legal obligation |
| Records of our work and correspondence | To meet ICAEW and legal record-keeping requirements and to handle complaints | Legal obligation, and legitimate interests |
| Email address for updates, guides and event invitations | To send information relevant to council finance and audit | Legitimate interests, with an easy opt-out in every message |
| Website usage data from cookies and similar technologies | To run the website securely and, if you agree, to understand how it is used | Essential cookies: legitimate interests. Analytics and marketing cookies: your consent |
We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it to make decisions about you by automated means alone.
We use trusted service providers who process data for us under contract and only on our instructions:
If you make a complaint, we share it with the person who investigates complaints for us, under a duty of confidentiality. We may also share data with ICAEW, our professional indemnity insurers, professional advisers, or regulators and law enforcement where the law requires it.
We may access personal data while working in the European Economic Area (EEA). The UK recognises the EEA as providing an adequate level of protection, so no additional safeguards are needed for this.
Some of our providers store or process data in the United States. Each transfer is protected by a safeguard recognised under UK data protection law:
These safeguards require your data to be protected to UK standards.
| Data | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Enquiries and quotes that do not lead to an appointment | 2 years from our last contact |
| Records of services provided to councils | 6 years after the end of the engagement, in line with the Limitation Act 1980 |
| Anti-money laundering records | 5 years after the end of the business relationship, as the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require |
| Email updates | Until you unsubscribe |
| Cookie data | As shown in our cookie settings |
You have the right to ask for a copy of your data, to have it corrected or deleted, to restrict or object to how we use it (including for marketing, at any time), to have it transferred, and to withdraw consent where we rely on it. To use any of these rights, contact us using the details above. We will respond within one month.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
We use essential cookies to run the website and keep it secure. With your consent, we also use analytics and marketing cookies, including those set by HighLevel for forms, chat and tracking. You can accept or reject non-essential cookies when you first visit, and change your choice at any time through the cookie settings link at the foot of every page.
We will update this notice when our practices change and show the date of the latest version at the top.