Privacy notice
What we collect, why, how long we keep it, and how to get it deleted.
Version 1, November 2026. Draft for agreement by Community Action Portsmouth before launch.
Who we are
Community Action Portsmouth (CAP) decides why and how your details are used, so we are the "controller" under UK data protection law. A volunteer builds and runs this website for us under a written agreement. Contact us at connect@communityactionportsmouth.org.
What we collect and why
| What | Why | Our legal reason |
|---|---|---|
| Your email address, first name if you give it, your ward and the first half of your postcode (like PO4) | To email you about assemblies, votes and news from your ward | Your consent |
| The issues you tell us you care about | So updates can focus on them | Your explicit consent, given separately |
| A record of what you agreed to: the exact words, when, and whether it was online or on paper | To show we only email people who asked | Legal obligation to prove consent |
| An issue you raise in your area: what you wrote, your email address, your ward and the first half of your postcode | To check it was you, read it, add it to your ward's vote, and tell you when we have | Legitimate interests: hearing what affects residents. What you wrote is never published |
| The ways you said you might help, if you tick any when you join | So organisers know who to ask | Your consent |
| Your email address when you ask for a voting link | To send you the link. We don't store it | Legitimate interests: running a fair vote |
| A scrambled code made from your email address, kept only while a vote is open | To stop anyone voting twice | Legitimate interests: running a fair vote |
We use your postcode only to find your ward. The full postcode is not stored.
Your vote is anonymous
Each vote is saved with only the ward, the issue and the date. It has no link to your email address, your name or the scrambled code, so no one, including us, can see how you voted. We show a ward's results only once at least five people there have voted.
The words you agree to
On every sign-up form, online and on paper, there are two separate boxes, and neither is ticked for you:
- "I'm 16 or over. Email me about local issues, assemblies and campaigns from Community Action Portsmouth. I can unsubscribe at any time."
- "Remember the issues I picked, so updates can focus on them."
When you raise an issue, joining the list is a separate, optional box: "Also email me news from my ward: assemblies, votes and campaigns from Community Action Portsmouth. I can unsubscribe at any time." Raising an issue doesn't add you to the list unless you tick it.
Sign-up is for people aged 16 and over. We send a confirmation email first, and nothing else is sent until you press the link in it.
How long we keep things
| Information | Kept for |
|---|---|
| Sign-ups that aren't confirmed | 7 days, then deleted |
| Your details on our list | Until you unsubscribe or delete them. If we haven't heard from you for 2 years, we ask once if you want to stay, and delete your details 30 days later if you don't reply |
| After you unsubscribe | 30 days, so a late email doesn't reach you, then deleted |
| Issues you raise that you don't confirm | 7 days, then deleted |
| Issues you raise and confirm | 1 year after we've sorted them, then deleted. The short title we write for your ward's vote stays, as it holds nothing about you |
| The scrambled code that stops double voting | Until the vote closes |
| Votes | Kept as anonymous totals |
| Paper sign-up and voting slips | Shredded once a volunteer has typed them in |
| Encrypted backups | 30 days, then replaced |
| Record of admin sign-ins, downloads and deletions | 1 year |
Who else handles your details
We never sell or share your details. These services handle them for us, under contract:
- Hostinger runs the server this site and its database are on, in a data centre in Manchester, UK.
- Purelymail sends our emails and forwards emails sent to us to our organisers. Purelymail is based in the United States, so your email address and the emails we send you pass through its servers there, under its data protection terms.
- If we turn it on to stop spam, Cloudflare Turnstile checks forms are filled in by people, not robots.
- If our own postcode list can't find your postcode, we ask postcodes.io, a free service using official ONS data. We send it the postcode only, and don't keep it.
Only named CAP volunteers can sign in to see the list. They use a password and a code from their phone, and every download is recorded.
Petitions and assemblies
We don't collect petition signatures. Our campaign pages link to Portsmouth City Council's own petition site, and our printed petition sheets go straight to the council, which handles your details under its own privacy notice. We don't copy or keep them.
You don't need to book or give your details to come to an assembly. If we write up what was agreed, we don't name residents who spoke unless they're happy for us to.
Your rights
You can ask to see your details, correct them, delete them, or stop us using them. You can withdraw consent at any time, and that's as easy as giving it: every email has a one-click unsubscribe link. To download or delete your details yourself, use this page; it includes any issues you've raised. If you've raised an issue but aren't on our list, email us and we'll send you a copy or delete it. If you ask us by email, by post or at an assembly, we'll do it within one month.
If you're unhappy with how we've used your details, tell us first. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
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