Once again, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all Managing Trustees for the time and effort they have taken to complete the 2025 Data Protection Annual Checklist. This thanks is extended the District Data Champions and Administrators for the hard work and dedication provided to Local Churches and Circuits in helping them to complete this important once a year ‘People’ Protection exercise.
This hard work, has again, meant another year of improved submissions of the Checklist with a record number being received for the year ending 2025; a total of 88% which is up from 74% for the previous year. We want to see this total figure increase again and TMCP, along with your District Data Champions, are on hand to provide any data protection guidance or training that is required.
This is now the sixth year that completion of the Annual Checklist has been a requirement and should be treated in the same way as the Connexional Annual Returns. Completion of the Checklist is not voluntary and is expected from every set of Managing trustees who rely on falling under TMCP’s registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office (‘ICO’). It is there to demonstrate that you take your data protection responsibilities seriously and keep your data protection processes under annual review.
As we set to release the 2026 Checklist, it comes with a comprehensive Guidance Note which provides Managing Trustees with a step by step walk through of what is required to complete the Checklist. In addition to the Guidance Note, there are also the following resources to assist Managing Trustees:
- TMCP Training video on “How to Complete the Annual Data Protection Checklist”
- Sutton Park Methodist Circuit – Data Protection Annual Checklist Training Videos
- Sheffield Methodist District Guidance – ‘GDPR Annual Checklist – Guidance’
Please remember that if you are a single Local Church worshipping across multiple sites, then only ONE Checklist needs to be completed on behalf of the Church Council. If you become aware that you are being asked to complete more than one Checklist then please refer to your District Data Champion AND TMCP as soon as possible.
GOING FORWARD - IMPORTANT NOTICE:
As was advertised with the 2025 Checklist, the TMCP Board took the difficult decision to exclude any managing trustee body from the remit of TMCP’s Controllership who failed to complete the 2025 Annual Checklist.
We understand that there will be circumstances which may have prevented some Managing Trustees in failing to complete all seven Checks and we thank all of those who have made the effort to undertake as much of the Checklist as possible.
However, we will now be contacting the Districts and their District Data Champions to ascertain those sets of Managing Trustees who have continuously and persistently failed to engage with this important exercise. Independent registration with the ICO will be required for those Managing Trustees and they will be wholly responsible for demonstrating data protection compliance to the ICO. They will need to deal exclusively with data breaches and be responsible for responding to possible Data Subject Access Requests; something that we have seen an increase of in recent years. Use of Managing Trustees Privacy Notice and other policy documents will not be permitted and therefore you will be expected to produce your own suite of documents that the ICO expect.
If you believe that you will struggle to complete the Annual Checklist then please do contact your District Data Champion as soon as possible to seek urgent assistance. If you are unsure who your District Data Champion is then please ask your District Chair or contact us and we will provide their details. You can also contact TMCP at any time with your data protection queries at dataprotection@tmcp.org.uk.
TMCP’s promise to all Managing Trustees is that we will do all within our power to achieve 100% compliance with our data protection / “People Protection” responsibilities.
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