Privacy notice

We are committed to protecting your personal information and being clear about how we use it. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, and your rights as a member and customer.

Last updated: 29 June 2026. We will notify members of significant changes before they take effect.

1. Introduction

This document sets out the approach taken by OurCoop in relation to the subject matter described by its title above. It applies to all members, customers, and visitors across the OurCoop estate, including ourcoop.co.uk and its associated sub-domains.

We are committed to acting openly and fairly. This document is written in plain English so that every reader can understand their position and what they can expect from us. Where we are required by law to include specific wording, we have reproduced it as clearly as possible.

2. Information we collect

We may collect personal and non-personal information in the course of providing our products, services, and digital platforms. The type of information collected depends on how you interact with us and which OurCoop service you use.

• Information you provide directly. For example when joining as a member, making a purchase, submitting a form, or contacting our support team.

• Information collected automatically. Including technical data about your device, browser, and how you navigate our websites and apps.

• Information from third parties. Where permitted by applicable law and where it helps us provide a better or safer service.

We only collect information that is necessary, relevant, and proportionate to the purpose for which it is used. We will not collect more than we need.

3. How we use it

We use the information we hold to provide and improve our services, fulfil legal obligations, and communicate with you where we have a legitimate basis to do so. Specific purposes include:

1. Administering your membership or account.

2. Processing transactions and delivering the services you request.

3. Sending service updates, statutory notices, and legal communications.

4. Analysing usage patterns to improve the experience for all members and visitors.

5. Complying with applicable law, regulation, and our own published policies.

We will never sell your personal information to third parties for their own marketing or commercial purposes. Where we share information with partners, we do so only as set out in our full privacy policy and only with appropriate safeguards in place.

4. Your rights

Depending on your location and the nature of the information we hold, you may have the following rights. You can exercise any of these rights by contacting us using the details in section 5.

• Access. Request a copy of the information we hold about you.

• Rectification. Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete records.

• Erasure. In certain circumstances, request that we delete your information.

• Restriction. Ask us to limit how we use your information while a concern is being resolved.

• Portability. Receive your information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.

• Objection. Object to processing carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests.

• Withdraw consent. Where processing is based on your consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

We will respond to all valid requests within the timescales required by applicable law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority in your country.

5. Contact us

If you have questions about this document or how we handle your information, please contact our member support team. We will do our best to resolve your concern promptly and fairly.

OurCoop Member Services
Angel Square, Manchester, M60 0AG
Email: membersupport@ourcoop.co.uk

You may also raise a concern directly with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Before you commit to purchasing shares/Fixed Term Investments please note that Central England Co-operative Limited (‘the Society’) complies with the Code of Best Practice developed by Co-operatives UK with the agreement of HM Treasury. 

The Code sets out the minimum standards of good practice that a consumer retail co-operative society should observe in its use of Withdrawable Share Capital. In this context, it is concerned with shares/Fixed Term Investments given these are withdrawable but not transferable. 

The Code obliges the Society to provide a statement to its members of the nature of their financial interest in the Society and any change affecting it, as set out below: 

As a member of the Society, you are the owner of one or more shares in the Society. If the Society is unable to meet its debts and other liabilities, you risk losing the amount you hold in shares / Fixed Term Investments in the Society. Hence they are known as risk capital. This may make it inappropriate for you as a place to keep your savings. 

Owning Withdrawable Share Capital (‘WSC’) is not the same as investing in the shares of a company. It is primarily for the purpose of supporting the Society in furthering its purpose and objects. There are various important differences between WSC and company shares. For example, WSC held in shares/Fixed Term investments receives interest but will not increase in value. 

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme, which covers bank, building society and credit union accounts, does not apply to your Share Account/Fixed Term Investments with the Society, so you cannot claim compensation under the Scheme in the event of the Society not being able to meet requests for withdrawal of shares. This is because the Society does not require authorisation under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to operate WSC. Societies are therefore not subject to supervision either by the Prudential Regulation Authority or by the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to WSC. 

You may withdraw money from your Share Account or from your Fixed Term Investments at any time unless the Society’s board of directors has removed this facility under the Society’s rules. Note that interest is not payable on early withdrawal of Fixed Term investments. 

The Financial Ombudsman Service does not apply to your Share Account/Fixed Term Investments or your relationship with the Society but under the Society’s rules any dispute is to be submitted to an arbitrator agreed by the parties or in the absence of agreement to be nominated by the Chief Executive of Co-operatives UK Limited. The arbitrator’s decision will be binding and conclusive on all parties. 

If you have any questions regarding the Code please address them to The Secretary, Central England Co-operative Limited, Central House, Queen Street, Lichfield, WS13 6QD 

Introduction 

OurCoop (a Trading Name for Central England Co-operative Limited) is committed to ensuring the privacy of colleagues is protected. Should we ask you to provide personal data, then it will only be used in accordance with this Privacy Notice. OurCoop collects and processes personal data relating to you to manage our employment relationship. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that personal data and to meet our data protection obligations. 

Please see Annex 1 to see a full list of all Funeral Homes which are covered by OurCoop. 

Who we are 

Central England Co-operative Limited 

ICO registration: Z616328X 

Queen Street 

Lichfield  

Staffordshire  

WS13 6QD  

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who can be contacted via the following email address should you have any questions about the way your personal data is handled. 

Email: enquiries@centralcoop.co.uk  

Personal data we collect 

How we collect your personal data  

We will collect your personal data directly from you in the following ways:  

When you visit our website; 

When you consent to cookies on our website;  

When you correspond with us via email, text, telephone, social media or post.  

When you purchase a funeral plan from us;  

When you engage with us for a at need funeral service;  

When you make a card payment in one of our Funeral Homes; 

When you are captured on our CCTV systems; 

When you sign up to our Guest Wi-Fi; 

When you enter any competitions or prize draws with us; and 

When you consent to receive marketing from us. 

Why do we process your personal data? 

We are only allowed to process your personal data if we have a lawful basis to do so and are required to inform you of what that lawful basis is. We have set out in the table below: the purposes for processing your data, the categories of personal data affected, and the lawful basis on which we rely on when we process your personal data.  

In some circumstances we can use your personal data if it is in our legitimate interest to do so, provided that we have told you what that legitimate interest is. A legitimate interest is when we have a business or commercial reason to use your information which, when balanced against your rights, is justifiable. If we are relying on legitimate interests, we have set that out in the table below.  

Disclosures Of Your Personal Data 

We may have to share your personal data with third parties for the purposes set out in the table above. In order to administer our services and meet our legal obligations, we only share your personal data with third parties in the following circumstances:  

To administer card payments made in Funeral Homes; 

To offer services provided by third party suppliers for the facilitation of our funeral services such as stonemasons, will and probate services, bespoke jewelry services and Order of Services; 

To make a booking with a crematorium; 

To manage your data on a dedicated Funeral management system; 

For debt recovery services for overdue payments; 

Our mail service provider to send you offers and vouchers;  

To facilitate surveys for customer feedback; 

To provide analytical services;  

For the administration of IT management and support; 

To receive IT administration services, including CCTV systems 

We may share your personal data, where necessary, with our auditors, legal advisors and other professional advisors acting in their professional capacity, for instance, for the purposes of allowing us to exercise or defend our legal rights. 

To manage and store your personal data; and  

To meet legal obligations, for example, for the purposes of national security, auditing, taxation and criminal investigations.  

If requested, we will share your personal data with authorities such as:  

The Police;  

The Financial Conduct Authority; 

The Health and Safety Executive;  

Local Authorities;  

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC);  

The Courts; and  

Central or Local Government Bodies.  

Before we share your personal data with a third party, we will ensure that there is an appropriate Data Processing or Data Sharing Agreement in place to protect the sharing of data.  

International Transfers  

The EEA is the European Economic Area, which consists of the EU Members States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. If we transfer your personal data outside of the EEA, we must tell you and we must rely on one of the following:  

Adequacy Decision: The country we send your personal data to provides an adequate level of protection which has been approved by the European Commission.  

Standard Contractual Clauses (with the IDTA Addendum): The recipient of your personal data has provided us with signed Standard Contractual Clauses with the IDTA Addendum include. This holds the recipient accountable to safeguard the personal data.  

International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA): The recipient of your personal data has provided us with a signed IDTA which has been approved by the Information Commission. This holds the recipient accountable to safeguard the personal data.  

Instances where your personal data is transferred outside of the EEA are as follows:  

How do we protect your personal data? 

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We have internal policies and controls in place to ensure that we have implemented measures to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or disclosed without our authority, and is not accessed except by our colleagues only in the performance of their professional duties. 

Where we engage third parties to process personal data on our behalf, they do so on the basis of written instructions, are operating under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of data. 

Retention of your personal data? 

We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes of our processing. This includes satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. 

When we assess the retention of your personal data, we will take the following into consideration: 

Nature of the information; 

Sensitivity of the information; 

Potential risks if the information was breached; 

The purpose(s) for which we initially processed the information; 

Whether we can achieve the purpose(s) through less invasive means; and 

Any applicable legal requirements.  

Your Rights 

All individuals who engage with us have data subject rights relating to the processing of their personal data. These are the rights that apply to your personal data held within CEC: 

The right to be informed – you have the right to know what information we hold and process about you which is why we have provided this Privacy Notice. 

The right of access – you have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold regarding yourself. 

The right to rectification – you have the right to ask for us to correct any information we hold which may be inaccurate or incorrect. 

The right of erasure – you have the right to have your personal data ‘erased’ in the following situations: 

Where the personal data is no longer required for the purpose(s) for which it was originally collected or processed; 

Where the processing was based on consent and you have withdrawn your consent; 

When the personal data was unlawfully processed; and  

When the personal data has to be erased in order to comply with a legal obligation. 

We will erase your records when one of the above situations apply. 

The right to object – you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in the following circumstances: 

The purpose of the processing activity is direct marketing; 

Where the processing is based on legitimate interests; and 

Processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics. 

The right to restriction of processing – you have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations such as: 

Where you contest the accuracy of your personal data, we will restrict the processing until you have verified the accuracy of your personal data; 

When processing is unlawful, and you oppose erasure and request restriction instead; and  

Where we no longer need the personal data, but you require the information to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim. 

The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer your personal data to a third-party. This right only applies to automated personal data which you have either provided your consent for us to use or where we have used your personal data to perform a contract with you.  

Rights in relation to automated decision-making including profiling – you have the right to question decisions being made about you without any human involvement.  

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at enquiries@centralcoop.co.uk  

Changes to this Privacy Notice 

We may update this Privacy Notice at any time, and we will provide you with a new privacy notice when we make any substantial updates. We may also notify you in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information. 

If you have any questions in relation to this notice, please contact our DPO at enquiries@centralcoop.co.uk  

Not happy? 

Please let us know if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data by contacting our DPO.  

As stated in The Data (Use & Access) Act 2025, you have the right to lodge a data protection complaint with us, should you be unhappy with the way we have processed your personal data.  

Your complaint will be managed and responded to by our Data Protection Officer (DPO). Their role will be a conduct an independent investigation into the grounds for your complaint and provide an outcome to you. Your complaint will be responded to with a final written response within 30 days of receipt.  

Should you wish to make a data protection complaint, this can be done by contacting the DPO in the following ways:  

Email: enquiries@centralcoop.co.uk  

If you are dissatisfied with how your data protection complaint has been managed, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with The Information Commission (ICO). We would be grateful for the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact us in the first instance.  

You can find their contact details below: 

Address:   Information Commission,  

Wycliffe House, 

Water Lane,  

Wilmslow, 

Cheshire, 

SK9 5AF 

Telephone:     0303 123 1113