Cornwall Council respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice will inform you as to how we look after this information.
Purpose of this privacy notice
This privacy notice details how Cornwall Council collects and processes your personal data. It is important you read this privacy notice so that you are fully aware of how and why we are using your data.
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with us.
How we are using your information
We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to and commonly, in the following circumstances:
- To action the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you.
- Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
- Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
We will use the information provided along with your documentary proof to process your Housing Application. Information you provide us with may be used for statistical research but will not be used in any way (beyond its original purpose) which enables you to be identified. Generally we do not rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your personal data. Please note that we may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, in compliance with the above rules and where this is required or permitted by law.
Sharing your information
We will only share your data when we have a legal duty or power to do so, and it is necessary and proportionate to share the information. This might be because of a legal duty or to keep a child or a vulnerable adult safe or to allow another council team or someone working for, or on behalf of, the Council to provide services to you.
Sometimes we have to share information without asking or telling you because the law says we must or can. We also share information, in the ways the Data Protection Act allows, to prevent and detect crime including housing fraud.
We may share this information with:
- the Department for Work and Pensions
- Jobcentre Plus
- Housing Benefit or Council Tax departments of the Council
- HM revenue and Customs (which used to be known as the Inland Revenue)
- the Rent Service
- the Supporting People Team
- the Police and the Benefits Agency for the prevention and detection of any crime
- other Local Authorities or other housing providers for and to enable us to verify your application.
The AdviceAid self-service platform also collects personal data for the purpose of providing tailored advice to resolve housing and risk of homelessness.
We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.
Gov.uk Notify (Cabinet Office)
We will only share mobile telephone numbers if prior consent has been given by the customer, to enable text messages to be sent through Notify as data processor. Your information is shared in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.
How long we will retain your information
In accordance with Cornwall Council's Record Retention Policy the information you provide on this form will be retained no longer than 5 years following the closure of your case, after which period it will be destroyed in a secure manner. All personal information held by Cornwall Council is held safely in a secure environment.
Access to your information
Should you like to see what information is held about you by Cornwall Council, you can make a Subject Access Request (SAR) as per you rights set out in the General Data Protection Regulations.
You can make this either in writing or email to:
Corporate and Information Governance Team,
462 North Wing,
New County Hall,
Treyew Rd,
Truro,
TR1 3AY
Email: dataprotection@cornwall.gov.uk
If you are unhappy with how any aspect of this privacy notice, or how your personal information is being processed, please contact the Data Protection Officer of Cornwall Council (Simon Mansell) at: dpo@cornwall.gov.uk. If you are still not happy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/concerns
