Legal
Data Protection and Data Sources
Last updated: 21 August 2026 · Version 1.0
Everything we publish is compiled from records that public authorities are required by law to make available for inspection. This page sets out where the data comes from, what we do with it, what we refuse to do with it, and how anyone named in it can be removed.
Our position
All information we publish is compiled from records that public authorities are required by law to make available for public inspection. We add structure, verification and timeliness. That is the whole of our contribution, and we are precise about it.
We obtain nothing by private, covert or unauthorised means. We do not use confidential sources, we do not approach staff at licensing authorities for information that is not in the register, and we do not pay for personal data. If a fact is not in a public register, it is not in our data.
The statutory basis of our sources
Licensing authorities are required to keep a register of applications made to them, and to make that register available for inspection by the public. Publication is not incidental. It exists so that residents, businesses and interested parties can know about applications that affect them, and can make representations while there is still time to do so.
We access those registers in exactly the way any other member of the public may. Our work begins after publication, not before it: we read what has been published, check it, structure it, and deliver it in a form that can be used.
Authorities currently covered
Coverage is stated by region, and each region is made up of named local authorities. Each authority is read directly at source. The regions currently in coverage are:
- Greater Manchester — Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan
Further regions are in preparation. Current coverage is always stated in full on the main page; we do not claim regions we do not hold.
What we reproduce, and what we do not
We reproduce factual particulars only: names, addresses, dates, reference numbers, application types, and the categories of activity applied for. Facts of that kind are the substance of a register entry, and they are what a subscriber needs.
We do not reproduce supporting documents, operating schedules, plans, drawings, photographs, maps, or representations made by third parties. Material of that kind may attract copyright, may contain information about people who are not the applicant, and is not necessary for what we do. Where it appears in a register, we leave it there.
Verification and accuracy
Every entry we publish is checked against the register it came from. Records are de-duplicated, addresses are normalised, and entries that are incomplete or ambiguous are held back rather than published with a guess. Nothing is inferred and nothing is estimated.
The limits of the data matter as much as its contents, so we state them plainly:
- A register entry records an application, not a confirmed opening. It is evidence of intent, not of trading.
- Some applications are withdrawn, refused, or simply never proceed.
- Details can change after an application is made — names, operators, dates and the nature of a business all move.
- Publication practice varies between authorities, so timing is not uniform across a region.
If you find an error in our data, tell us at privacy@thurloebancroft.co.uk and we will check it against the source and correct it promptly. Corrections are not treated as a nuisance; they are how the dataset stays worth paying for.
What we do not do
- We do not contact the businesses or individuals named in our data. They are the subject of the record, not an audience for it.
- We do not sell data for consumer marketing. Our data concerns commercial premises and is sold to businesses for business purposes.
- We do not supply data to be used for unsolicited contact with individuals contrary to PECR. Electronic marketing to individuals, including sole traders and partnerships, is subject to rules that our subscribers are required to follow.
- We do not combine our records with third-party personal datasets. No enrichment, no appending of personal contact details, no purchases from data brokers.
These are not aspirations. They are the terms on which the business operates, and they are the reason we can describe our method openly.
Obligations on subscribers
Data is supplied on terms that require the subscriber to comply with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and PECR in its own use of it. A subscriber that receives our data becomes responsible for what it then does with it, and we say so in writing at the point of sale.
Subscribers may not resell or redistribute the data, and may not use it in a way that would breach electronic marketing rules. Where we become aware of misuse, access may be suspended or withdrawn. Our Terms of Use govern use of this website; subscription terms are provided separately with each subscription.
Where data is held
Data is held within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, using established infrastructure providers. The specific hosting region within that footprint may change from time to time for performance and resilience reasons.
Our providers are named, and the position on international transfers — including access by providers established outside the UK and the EEA — is set out in full in section 9 of our Privacy Policy. We keep the detail in one place so that the two pages cannot drift apart.
Removal requests
Most entries in our data name a company. Some name an individual — a sole trader, or a member of a partnership. Any individual named in our data may ask us to remove them.
How to be removed
Email privacy@thurloebancroft.co.uk with the name and premises address as they appear in our data, and ask us to remove them.
No reason is required and none will be asked for. The request is actioned promptly, and in any event within one month. There is no charge, and no form to complete.
The entry is then added to a permanent suppression list, so that the same details are not reintroduced when the register is next collected. The suppression list holds only what is needed to recognise the record, is never supplied to subscribers, and is used for nothing else.
Removal is a right, not a concession, and we would rather act on ten requests than argue about one.
Local authority enquiries
If you are a licensing authority and have a question about how we use your register, please contact us directly at privacy@thurloebancroft.co.uk. We will explain what we collect, how often, and what we do with it, and we will answer promptly.
If any aspect of our collection causes difficulty for an authority — technical load, timing, or the format in which a register is accessed — we would prefer to hear about it and adjust.
Governance
We maintain a record of processing activities and a Legitimate Interests Assessment covering the compilation and supply of public record data. Both are available to a regulator on request, and to any other person with a legitimate reason to ask.
We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office as a data controller. Our registration number is given in the footer of every page and in section 1 of our Privacy Policy.
This page describes our own practice. It is not legal advice. Any organisation handling personal data should obtain its own independent advice.