Providing staffing solutions across the UK
hello@thesvgroup.co.uk
0151 227 5227

Privacy Policy

Privacy policy & data protection

Privacy Notice

Last updated: 16th January 2026
This privacy notice explains how Saffron Vanilla Co Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects personal data when you visit our website, contact us, subscribe to updates, or use our recruitment services as a candidate or employer.

You do not need to provide personal data to browse public pages of our website. However, if you contact us, register with us, submit a CV, request job alerts, or engage our services, we will process personal data as described below.

1. Who we are (data controller)

Data controller: Saffron Vanilla Co Ltd
Address: BNENC Breckfield Road North Liverpool L5 4QT
Email: hello@thesvgroup.co.uk

If you have questions about this notice or want to exercise your data protection rights, contact us using the details above.

2. The personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data (depending on how you interact with us):

A. Candidates and contractors

  • Identity and contact details: name, email, telephone number, address, postcode

  • Recruitment and employment related information: CV, work history, qualifications, skills, salary expectations, right to work information (where relevant), availability, interview notes, references (where provided or obtained with an appropriate lawful basis)

  • Engagement history: communications with us, notes of calls and meetings

  • Timesheet and payment related information (where applicable): timesheet entries, role details, invoicing and payment details, and information required for payroll and tax compliance (for example bank details and tax identifiers where required)

B. Employers and client contacts

  • Identity and contact details: name, job title, business contact details

  • Business information: company name, address, billing information, role requirements, communications and meeting notes

C. Website users

  • Technical and usage information: IP address, device and browser information, pages visited, referral source and interaction data, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see Cookies section).

D. Marketing and subscriptions

  • Subscription details: email address and preferences for newsletters, job alerts or updates.

3. Special category data and criminal offence data

Recruitment can involve information that is legally protected:

  • Special category data (such as information about health, disability, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation) may be processed where:

    • you choose to share it with us (for example to request reasonable adjustments), or

    • it is required for equality monitoring, or

    • it is necessary to comply with employment related rights and obligations.

Where we process special category data, we will identify an appropriate lawful basis under UK GDPR Article 6 and a separate condition under Article 9, and where required we will meet the conditions under the Data Protection Act 2018.

  • Criminal offence data (for example DBS related information) will only be processed where it is relevant to a role and permitted under UK law, with appropriate safeguards.

4. How we use your personal data and our lawful bases

UK GDPR requires us to have a lawful basis for processing. We may rely on one or more of the following:

  • Contract: processing necessary to take steps you request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract.

  • Legal obligation: processing necessary to comply with legal duties (for example tax, payroll, right to work checks where applicable).

  • Legitimate interests: processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights (for example running our recruitment business, matching candidates to roles, preventing fraud, improving services).

  • Consent: used where required, particularly for certain electronic marketing and non-essential cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Typical purposes

For Candidates

  • Registering you, managing your profile and communicating with you

  • Matching you to roles and presenting you to prospective employers (including sharing relevant profile and CV information)

  • Arranging interviews and managing recruitment processes

  • Managing contracts, timesheets, invoicing and payments (where applicable)

  • Complying with legal and regulatory requirements

  • Maintaining internal records and improving our services

  • Sending service messages and, where permitted, information about opportunities you may be interested in

For Clients

  • Providing recruitment services, presenting candidates and managing engagement

  • Contract management, billing and account administration

  • Relationship management and service improvement

  • Complying with legal obligations

For website users

  • Operating, securing and improving our website

  • Measuring site performance and user engagement (where you consent to analytics cookies)

For marketing subscribers

  • Sending newsletters, job alerts, insights and updates (usually based on consent, depending on channel and context)

  • Maintaining suppression lists so we respect opt-outs

5. Who we share personal data with

We may share personal data where necessary and proportionate, including with:

  • Employers and hiring organisations (for example when presenting you for a role)

  • Service providers (processors) that help us run our business, such as:

    • CRM and database hosting providers

    • Email marketing providers (for example Mailchimp, if used)

    • Website analytics providers (for example Google Analytics, if used)

    • IT, security, hosting and support providers

  • Professional advisers (lawyers, accountants, auditors)

  • Regulators and law enforcement where we are required to do so or where disclosure is legally permitted

Where we use processors, we require them to protect your data and only process it on our instructions under written contracts.

6. International transfers

Some of our suppliers and recruitment operations may involve transfers of personal data outside the UK (for example if a supplier’s servers or support teams are located overseas, or where our recruitment consultants operate in more than one country).

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

  • UK adequacy regulations (where applicable), or

  • the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to EU Standard Contractual Clauses, and

  • additional measures where required.

You can contact us to ask for more information about the safeguards used for specific transfers.

7. How long we keep your personal data (retention)

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this notice, taking into account legal and regulatory requirements.

As a general guide:

  • Recruitment records (candidates and employer contacts): typically up to 5 years from the last meaningful interaction, so we can provide continuity of service and meet business and compliance needs.

  • Timesheets, invoicing, payroll and tax records (where applicable): retained for longer where required for legal, accounting or tax purposes (commonly 6 years for certain records, depending on the nature of the record and applicable rules).

  • Marketing records: retained until you unsubscribe or we no longer use the relevant marketing channel, plus a limited period to maintain suppression lists.

  • Equality monitoring data: where used, we aim to use it in anonymised or aggregated form. If identifiable, we retain it only as long as necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

You can request deletion in certain circumstances (see Your rights). Please note that we may need to retain some information to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

8. Your rights under UK GDPR

You have rights over your personal data, including:

  • Access (request a copy of your personal data)

  • Rectification (correct inaccurate or incomplete data)

  • Erasure (request deletion, where applicable)

  • Restriction (limit how we use your data, in certain cases)

  • Data portability (receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format)

  • Objection (object to processing based on legitimate interests, and object to direct marketing at any time)

  • Withdraw consent (where we rely on consent)

  • Rights related to automated decision-making (if we use solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects)

Fees: We do not usually charge for rights requests. We may charge a reasonable fee or refuse a request if it is manifestly unfounded or excessive.
Timescales: We usually respond within one month. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

To exercise your rights, email hello@saffronvanilla.co.uk.

9. Marketing preferences

Where we send marketing communications (including newsletters), you can opt out at any time:

  • by using the unsubscribe link in emails, or

  • by emailing hello@saffronvanilla.co.uk from the address you want to update.

Operational or service communications (for example messages about an application you made or services you requested) are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our website and, where you consent, to analyse performance and improve user experience.

  • Strictly necessary cookies are required for the site to function and do not require consent.

  • Analytics and marketing cookies are optional and will only be used if you consent through our cookie banner or preference centre.

You can change or withdraw cookie consent at any time using our cookie settings tool on the website (if available) and by adjusting your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect site functionality.

If we use services such as Google Analytics, they may set cookies and process usage data. Please review our cookie banner for the current list of cookies in use and their purposes.

11. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. Measures may include access controls, encryption where appropriate, secure hosting, staff confidentiality obligations, and security monitoring.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. Where you use passwords or login details, you are responsible for keeping them confidential.

12. Data breaches

If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms, we will assess it promptly and, where required, notify the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and affected individuals in line with UK GDPR requirements.

13. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. Please review their privacy notices before providing personal data.

14. How to complain

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first at hello@saffronvanilla.co.uk so we can address the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
ICO website: ico.org.uk

15. Changes to this notice

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. If changes are significant, we will post a prominent notice on our website. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when this notice was most recently revised.

16. Equal opportunities monitoring (if you want to keep it)

We are a company committed to diversity. As such, all job applicants and members of staff will receive equal treatment and we will not discriminate on grounds of gender, race, ethnic origin, colour, marital status, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.

We may occasionally use information provided by you for the purposes of diversity monitoring as part of our commitment to equal opportunities. This information will be used on an entirely anonymous basis.