Private Sector Housing privacy notice

Who we are and what we do

The following privacy notice has been issued by Wyre Forest District Council and is designed to explain how we collect, process hold and share your personal data for the purposes of Private Sector Housing related enquiries and complaints.

This includes property standards, disabled facilities and other property grants and financial assistance, tenancy relations, public health and drainage enquiries and complaints and applications for services.

The Council is fully compliant with all UK and EU Data Protection requirements including the General Data Protection Regulations effective from 25 May 2018.

Data we collect

The information we collect varies according to the purpose but would comprise some or all of the following:

• Name
• Address
• DoB
• Housing details
• Gender
• Disability/additional needs
• Contact details
• Financial details
• National Insurance details for you and certain persons within your household
• Personal circumstances (such as relationships with others in the household, disabilities, certain medical details, whether you or any members of your household are a carer or being cared for, whether you or any members of your household are students, or persons from abroad)

Why we collect and use this information

The majority of information you provide to us is mandatory and essential to carry out the Council’s legal duties. If we require additional information on a voluntary basis, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice in this.

We use your data and that of the people who live with you to:

• administer, assess and pay grants and financial assistance;
• administer, assess and issue licences and consents;
• respond to housing condition complaints and enquiries;
• prevent fraud and abuse of public funds;
• prevent tax avoidance and tax evasion;
• enable us to carry out all of our legal duties and enforce housing related legislation;
• derive statistics to inform both local and central government;
• enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible including ensuring that you receive other council services to which you are entitled; and
• assess performance and to set targets for the Council

Your personal information will be treated as confidential but it may be shared with other Council services in order to ensure our records are accurate and up-to-date, and to improve the standard of the services we deliver. We will only use your information in ways which are permitted by the General Data Protection Regulation and the current UK Data Protection law.

This Council has a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and may use information held about you for all lawful purposes, including but not limited to the prevention and detection of crime including fraud and money laundering and the matching of Council Tax and Benefits data with other internal and external Government departments including the Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs.

The Council may also use your information for the purpose of performing any of its statutory enforcement duties. It will make any disclosures required by law and may also share your information with other bodies responsible for detecting/preventing crime including fraud or auditing/administering public funds.

We collect and use this information as part of powers and duties under the following legislation:

• The Housing Act 2004
• The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996
• The Public Health Act 1936
• The Public Health Act 1961
• The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
• The Building Act 1984
• The Caravan Sites Act 1968
• The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960
• The Environmental Protection Act 1990
• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
• The Housing Act 1985
• The Housing and Planning Act 2016
• The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
• The Land Drainage Act 1991
• The Local Government and Housing Act 1989
• The Local Government Act 1988
• The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976
• The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982
• The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949
• The Protection from Eviction Act 1977
• The Town and Country Planning Act 1990
• The Energy Act 2013
• As a public task in exercise of official authority and to perform specific tasks in the public interest set out in law in relation to acts and regulations including the above;
• To prevent and detect fraud and corruption in line with the Council’s Counter Fraud policy.

Who we can share your information with

Routine sharing of information

We routinely share the information provided with:

• The Department for Work and Pensions
• Her Majesty’s Revenues and Customs;
• Other local authorities to ensure correct assessment of any entitlement, prevention of fraud or the recovery of amounts outstanding;
• Police and other enforcement agencies to assist in the detection and prevention of crime;

Specific sharing of information

Where other departments of the Council have a legal right to data we hold, information shall be provided which is relevant to their legal powers.

National Fraud Initiative

The Council is required under Part 6 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 to participate in the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) data matching exercise that matches electronic data within and between public and private sector bodies to prevent and detect fraud. Data will be provided to the Cabinet Office for NFI and will be used for cross-system and cross-authority comparison with other relevant organisations’ data for the prevention and detection of fraud. It does not require the consent of the individuals. Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Practice.

Why we share this information

This data sharing underpins the administration of the service. We do not share information without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

We will not disclose your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

When computers make any decisions about you

Not applicable

When your data gets sent to other countries

Not applicable

Further information

For enquiries about this privacy notice and for deletion of data held under consent please email the Private Sector Housing team