Guidance

Test, Learn and Grow Programme Privacy Notice

Published 25 February 2026

This notice sets out how we will use your personal data, and your rights. It is made under Articles 13 and/or 14 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

The Cabinet Office and Public Digital are Joint Controllers of your personal data. The Cabinet Office is acting as your primary contact point for this network.

Your Data

Purpose

The purpose for which we are processing your personal data is to deliver and evaluate the Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) Programme. This includes :

• Programme coordination and management between Cabinet Office and Public Digital
• Recording and transcribing programme meetings for documentation and evaluation purposes
• Communicating via Slack and email for day-to-day collaboration
• Sharing programme-level information with GO Lab (University of Oxford) for independent evaluation of programme effectiveness
• Programme evaluation activities including analysis of programme delivery, outcomes, and learning

Note: Service user data processed by individual Accelerators is covered by separate Accelerator-level privacy notices.

The data

We will process the following personal data:

• Names, job titles, and contact details of programme participants (Cabinet Office staff, Public Digital staff, and partner organisation representatives)
• Meeting recordings (video and audio) and transcripts from programme coordination meetings
• Communications via Slack and email related to programme delivery
• Programme documentation, reports, and working papers
• Information shared in programme meetings, workshops, and collaborative activities

Legal basis of processing

The Cabinet Office’s legal basis for processing your personal data is: processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the data controller. In this case, that is the delivery of the Test, Learn and Grow (TLG) Programme to support local government service improvement and innovation.

Public Digital’s legal basis is that processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests. In this case the legitimate interest is supporting public sector reform and service improvement as contracted delivery partner.

Recipients

Your personal data will be shared by us with:

• Public Digital (joint controller for programme delivery)
• Cabinet Office (joint controller for programme delivery)
• GO Lab, University of Oxford (independent data controller for programme evaluation). GO Lab receives:
  • Meeting recordings and transcripts from programme coordination meetings (not containing service user data)
  • Programme documentation and reports
  • Aggregated findings from Accelerators
  • Note: GO Lab may conduct separate research with Accelerator teams under their own privacy arrangements.
• New Local (acting as data processor) may receive personal data to support programme delivery activities including:
  • Facilitating programme events, workshops and learning sessions
  • Supporting internal programme collaboration
  • Capturing thematic learning and feedback
  • Managing event logistics
• Professional transcription services for meeting recordings (acting as data processors)

As your personal data will be stored on our IT infrastructure, it will also be shared with our data processors who provide email, document management and storage services (Google Workspace and Slack).

Retention

Unless there is a requirement to retain data for public records or other legal obligations, the following retention periods will apply:

Meeting records, transcripts, and slack communications will be retained for the duration of the programme and then deleted within 30 days.

Other documentation may be retained for up to 7 years, in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s retention policies.

Your Rights

You have the right to request information about how your personal data are processed, and to request a copy of that personal data.

You have the right to request that any inaccuracies in your personal data are rectified without delay.

You have the right to request that any incomplete personal data are completed, including by means of a supplementary statement.

You have the right to request that your personal data are erased if there is no longer a justification for them to be processed.

You have the right in certain circumstances (for example, where accuracy is contested) to request that the processing of your personal data is restricted.

You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

International Transfers

As your personal data is stored on our IT infrastructure using Google Workspace and Slack, and shared with our data processors, it may be transferred and stored securely outside the UK. Where that is the case it will be subject to equivalent legal protection through an adequacy decision or Standard Contractual Clauses.

Complaints

If you consider that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: 

Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF,
or 0303 123 1113,
or icocasework@ico.org.uk

Any complaint to the Information Commissioner is without prejudice to your right to seek redress through the courts.

Contact Details

The Cabinet Office and Public Digital are Joint Controllers for your data.

The Cabinet Office is acting as primary contact for this processing activity. The Cabinet Office contact details for are:

Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2AS, or 0207 276 1234

or you can use this webform

The contact details for the data controller’s Data Protection Officer are: dpo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk 

You can contact the Public Digital Data Protection Officer at data-protection-officer@public.digital

You can contact Public Digital at contact@public.digital