PRIVACY POLICY

Who We Are

The Independent Appeals Service (“IAS”) is a trading name of Accord Dispute Resolution Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”), a company registered in England and Wales (company number 16831504).

Registered office: Floor 3, Pacific Chambers, 11–13 Victoria Street, Liverpool, L2 5QQ.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZC137568.

We are committed to protecting your personal data and handling it in accordance with applicable data protection law.

Data Protection Law

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (together, “data protection law”).

What We Do

Appeals and Enquiries

The IAS is approved under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015.

We provide motorists with the opportunity to appeal parking charges to an independent adjudicator. The IAS operates independently in the determination of appeals.

In doing so, we process personal data from:

- Individuals submitting appeals or enquiries; and

- Parking operators who are members of the International Parking Community (IPC), via systems and processes used for the administration of the IAS.

Administrative Support Services

We use third-party providers to deliver administrative and operational support, including case management.

These providers act solely on our documented instructions as data processors. They have no role in adjudication or decision-making.

Appropriate contractual, organisational and technical safeguards are in place to protect personal data.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We rely primarily on legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) to process personal data.

Our legitimate interests include:

- Administering and determining appeals fairly and independently;

- Responding to enquiries;

- Maintaining the integrity, quality and independence of the appeals process;

- Liaising with and reporting to accrediting, regulatory and oversight bodies.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered and balanced any potential impact on individuals’ rights and freedoms. We consider that our processing is proportionate and does not override those interests.

We may also process personal data where necessary:

- To comply with a legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR);

- For the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims (Article 6(1)(f) and, where applicable, Article 9(2)(f)).

Categories of Personal Data

We may process the following categories of personal data:

- Identity data (e.g. name, date of birth);

- Contact data (e.g. address, email address);

- Vehicle and case data (e.g. vehicle registration number, parking charge details, location and date of events);

- Case-related information (e.g. correspondence, evidence and submissions).

In limited circumstances, information provided in support of an appeal may include special category data (for example, information relating to health). Where this occurs, we process such data only where necessary in connection with the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims, including in the context of dispute resolution, or where otherwise permitted by data protection law.

We obtain personal data directly from individuals, from parking operators via systems used for the administration of the IAS, and from relevant third parties where necessary, including the International Parking Community (IPC), independent adjudicators, and accrediting or oversight bodies such as the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI).

Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

In most cases, personal data will be retained for up to two years following the conclusion of the relevant appeal or enquiry.

Longer retention periods may apply where necessary for legal, regulatory or legitimate business purposes (for example, handling disputes or complying with legal obligations).

Controller and Processor Roles

We act as a data controller in most circumstances, particularly where personal data is provided directly by individuals.

In limited circumstances, we process personal data provided in connection with an appeal by or on behalf of a parking operator. This data is typically submitted via systems used for the administration of the IAS.

In such cases, we process personal data in accordance with agreed arrangements governing the operation of the IAS and applicable data protection law.

Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share personal data, where necessary, with:

- The International Parking Community (IPC);

- Parking operators, where necessary in connection with an appeal and in accordance with the IAS framework operated alongside the IPC;

- Independent adjudicators;

- Our administrative and IT service providers;

- Government departments and regulatory or oversight bodies, where required by law;

- Legal or regulatory authorities, where required by law.

Where you authorise a third party to act on your behalf, we may share relevant personal data with them.

We do not transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom. If this changes, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law.

Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have the following rights:

- The right to be informed about how your personal data is used;

- The right of access to your personal data;

- The right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;

- The right to erasure (in certain circumstances);

- The right to restrict processing;

- The right to data portability;

- The right to object to processing;

- The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office;

- Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling.

We will respond to requests within the applicable statutory timeframes. Where permitted by law, we may refuse a request and will explain our reasons.

We do not carry out automated decision-making or profiling within the meaning of data protection law.

Subject Access Requests

You may submit a Subject Access Request by contacting us at the details below.

We may require proof of identity before responding.

If you have an account on www.theias.org, you may also access certain information by logging into your account.

For further information about your rights, please visit the Information Commissioner’s Office: www.ico.org.uk

Changes to This Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services or legal obligations.

Contact Us

Email: info@theias.info

Online: https://theias.org/contact-us

Post: The IAS, PO Box 662, Macclesfield, SK10 9NR

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your personal data, you should contact us in the first instance so that we can investigate and respond.

If you remain dissatisfied following our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): www.ico.org.uk