Privacy Notice

Macclesfield Culture Collective (MCC) in partnership with Macclesfield Town Council (MTC) is bidding for Macclesfield to become Town of Culture 2028. Launched by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in January 2026, the Town of Culture funding competition aims to spotlight the cultural contribution of towns to the UK’s national story by funding a programme of cultural activities during summer 2028.

As part of this bid, MCC are seeking to engage with stakeholders and communities within Macclesfield with a broad range of perspectives and expertise. The data you provide will only be used for the purposes of the bid development and any personal information collected is kept confidential. Your answers to the questions asked in will not be made public in a way that could lead to you being identified. Please note, participation in the research will have no influence or bearing on any future bid development activities.

Why is this research happening?

This research is happening to inform the Expression of Interest (EOI) bid by MCC. We are collecting this data to help shape Macclesfield’s Town of Culture bid in a way that genuinely reflects the voices, needs and ambitions of local people. Your feedback will help us tell the story of Macclesfield, whilst your logo (if applicable) provides evidence of formal backing from local groups, businesses and organisations. The information you share will be used only to inform and evidence the development of the bid and to ensure it is community‑led, inclusive and meaningful.

What type of information is collected through the research?

During the EOI stage until March 31st 2026,  two forms of engagement will take place.

  • Newsletter sign up. By providing email addressed, individuals may sign up to receive information from the MCC about the bidding process.

  • Survey response. Information provided  through open text boxes will be used to inform the Town of Culture bid through telling the ‘story’ of Macclesfield, whilst organisation names and logo will demonstrate stakeholder support for the bid.

What is personal data?

Personal data means any information that could lead to a person being identified either alone or in combination with other widely-available information, e.g. their name, their address, or details specific to that person. The only personal data we directly request through this research are email addresses. 


How long will personal data be kept for?

MCC will delete the information you provide and all personal data relating to this research within six months of the end of the Town of Culture cycle, anticipated to be March 2029.


What is the legal basis for collecting and processing the data collected through the research?

The legal basis for collecting and processing data is through legitimate interest. MCC has a legitimate interest in gathering this information given that a key aspect of the Town of Culture bidding process will involve ‘consultation’ as stated in the programme guidance found here. 


What is the purpose of processing your answers to the research?

The data is used for research purposes only.  The data will not be used for commercial, or marketing purposes and it will not be used to take make decisions about you as an individual. 


Who has access to the personal data collected through the research?

MCC will have a copy of the personal data to allow it to carry out the research. Responses collected will be analysed by MCC to inform the Expression of Interest bid. The outputs will not identify any individuals participating in the research. For the purposes of this form, MCC will be the data controller, who decides why and how personal data is processed.


Under the new data protection legislation, you have the right:

• To access your personal data held by MCC;

• To require MCC to correct any mistakes in that data;

• To (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing;

• For (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’.


Please contact MCC if you wish to do any of these things in relation to this programme. 

If you have any queries regarding the research or how we manage the data collected, please feel free to contact Tom at MCC on macclesfieldculturecollective@gmail.com.


If you have any concerns about how your data has been handled, you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office who is Welsh Government’s independent regulator for data protection. You can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office on 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113, via the website www.ico.org.uk , or write to: Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.