Privacy Policy

Who I am

Dakin Accountancy is operated by Robert Dakin trading as Dakin Accountancy.

I am the data controller for the personal information described in this privacy policy.

You can contact me at rob@dakinaccountancy.co.uk.

Information I may collect

I may collect personal information when you contact me or use my services, including:

  • your name and contact details;
  • information you provide through the website contact form, email or other correspondence;
  • information needed to provide bookkeeping, accountancy or business support services;
  • financial, tax and business records supplied by you;
  • information about your work and circumstances where this is relevant to the support you require.

If you use my neurodivergent business support or Access to Work services, you may also choose to provide information about a disability, health condition or neurodivergence.

I only collect information that is reasonably necessary for the service being provided.

How I use your information

I may use your personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries;
  • discuss and arrange services;
  • provide bookkeeping, accountancy and business support;
  • prepare accounts or tax returns and deal with HMRC where authorised;
  • maintain appropriate business and client records;
  • meet legal, regulatory and professional obligations;
  • manage and protect my business and website.

Lawful basis for using your information

I normally process personal information because:

  • it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
  • it is necessary to provide services under our agreement;
  • I have a legal obligation to keep or use certain information; or
  • I have a legitimate interest in administering and protecting my business.

Where I need to use information about your health, disability or neurodivergence, I will normally rely on your explicit consent in addition to the appropriate lawful basis above.

You can withdraw consent to the use of this information at any time, although this may affect my ability to provide a service which depends on it.

Who I may share information with

I do not sell personal information.

Where necessary, information may be shared with:

  • HMRC or other government bodies where authorised or legally required;
  • accounting software providers such as Xero or Zoho where relevant to your service;
  • IT, email, cloud storage and website service providers;
  • professional advisers or other organisations where required by law.

Service providers are only given access to information where this is necessary for the service they provide.

Some service providers may process information outside the UK. Where this happens, appropriate safeguards are used as required by UK data protection law.

How long I keep information

I keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required.

As a general guide:

  • enquiries which do not become clients may be retained for up to 12 months;
  • client and accounting records will normally be retained for up to six years after the end of the relevant engagement, unless a different period is required by law or regulation;
  • information about disability, health or neurodivergence will not be kept for longer than it is needed for the support being provided.

Information may be kept for longer where there is a legal or regulatory reason to do so.

How I protect your information

I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.

Information may be stored using secure business systems and cloud services, with access restricted to those who need it.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you;
  • ask for inaccurate information to be corrected;
  • ask for information to be deleted;
  • ask me to restrict how information is used;
  • object to certain uses of your information;
  • receive certain information in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

These rights are subject to certain legal exceptions.

To exercise any of these rights, contact rob@dakinaccountancy.co.uk.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how I use your personal information, please contact me first so I can try to resolve them.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Website and cookies

This website uses essential cookies and similar technologies needed for security and normal operation.

I use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website. Analytics is optional and is only activated where you have given consent through the cookie banner. It may collect information about your device, browser and how you use the website.

The contact form uses Google reCAPTCHA to help prevent spam and abuse. This may process limited technical information such as your IP address and browser information.

You can accept, deny or change your cookie preferences at any time using the consent settings. Full details of the cookies and services used are available in the Cookie Policy.

Changes to this policy

I may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes to the website, my services or legal requirements.

Last updated: September 2026