Sustainable Warmth - Privacy Notice
Who the Council is and what the Council does
The Council is a data controller under the Data Protection Legislation as the Council collects and processes personal information about you in order to provide services and meet their statutory and regulatory obligations.
This privacy notice relates to the delivery and administration of the Sustainable Warmth Competition (the Scheme); a government funded scheme aiming to raise the energy efficiency of low energy performance homes (especially those rated at EPC Band E, F or G). The government funding is provided to Local Authorities who set up arrangements for consumer engagement and the delivery of installations in homes.
Any questions regarding our privacy practices should be sent to
Data Protection Officer (DPO)
West Oxfordshire District Council
Council Offices, Witney, OX28 1NB
Email: data.protection@westoxon.gov.uk
Tel: 01993 861194
Why the Council needs your information and how the Council uses it
The Council needs to collect your personal information in order to aid scheme delivery to appropriate households within the target population.
The Council does not sell your personal information to anyone else.
What is the legal process for collecting and processing this data
The basis under which we use your personal information for the purposes of administering the Scheme is UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest in the exercise of official authority vested in the Council.
The specific public task is the delivery, administration and evaluation of, as well as statistical, research and fraud prevention purposes relating to, the Scheme, a government funded scheme aiming to raise the energy efficiency of low energy performance homes (those rated at EPC Band E, F or G), including off-gas grid homes. Funding is provided to Local Authorities who engage consumers and manage the delivery of installations in homes.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also rely on your consent to contact you to take part in further research – UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) (the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes).
What type of information is collected from you
The information that we collect about you to fulfil the purposes, objectives, or to deliver the services outlined above relates to your:
- Address and details of property receiving the energy efficiency or low-carbon heating installation(s) under the Scheme
- Details about the installation(s) installed at the property under the Scheme, including type, size and cost
- Contact address (if not the property receiving the installation(s)
- Address and details of property offered, but not receiving, installation(s) under the Scheme
- Your name
- Household income and any other scheme eligibility information
- Any financial contribution (if a landlord) you have made towards the installation(s) under the Scheme
- Email address and phone number
Do I have to provide the information?
You are not obliged by statute to provide the information that is specified here. However, if you do not provide the information we will not be able to assess you for eligibility or administer the Scheme to your property.
Who your information may be shared with (internally and externally)
In relation to the Scheme, the data controllers will share your personal information with each other and with the following organisations:
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
- Installers or assessors of energy efficiency measures appointed by the Local Authority
The Council will also use the information for the purpose of performing any of its statutory enforcement duties. It will make any disclosures required by law and may also share this information with other bodies responsible for detecting/preventing fraud or auditing/ administering public funds.
Your information will not be disclosed to any other organisations, except where the council is required and allowed to by law. The Council will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.
How long the Council keeps your information (retention period)
The Council will not keep your information for longer than is required to by law. Your information will be disposed of in a controlled and secure manner in accordance with the Council’s Policy.
The information that you have provided will be kept for 10 years. This is to provide ongoing support for the Scheme.
Please read the BEIS privacy notice for their retention period: BEIS Privacy Notice.
How the Council protects your Information
All the information the Council collects is stored securely on our IT system and manual filing systems. The Council has strict procedures for the way this is done. Any and all information about you is treated as confidential and with respect. There are also clear rules and guidance about storing, recording and sharing information which staff receive training on.
The Council will not transfer your personal data outside the EU without your consent.
The Council have implemented generally accepted standards of technology and operational security in order to protect personal data from loss, misuse, or unauthorised alteration or destruction.
Please note however that where you are transmitting information to us over the internet this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure.
If you use your credit or debit card to make payments, the Council passes your card details securely to our payment processing partner as part of the payment process. The Council does this in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Security Standard, and doesn’t store the details on its website. The information you give to the Council when using our online payment system will only be used for the recording of your payment.
The Council will notify you promptly in the event of any breach of your personal data which might expose you to serious risk.
Your rights
You have the following rights under the Data Protection Legislations:
- To access your personal data
- To be provided with information about how your personal data is processed
- To have your personal data corrected
- To have your personal data erased in certain circumstances
- To object to or restrict how your personal data is processed
- To have your personal data transferred to yourself or to another business in certain circumstances
- To be told if the Council have made a mistake whilst processing your data and the Council will self-report breaches to the Commissioner.
How you can access, update or correct your information
The Data Protection law gives you the right to apply for a copy of information about yourself. This is called a ‘Subject Access Request'.
If you wish to see a copy of your records you should contact the Data Protection Officer. You are entitled to receive a copy of your records free of charge, within a month.
In certain circumstances access to your records may be limited, for example, if the records you have asked for contain information relating to another person.
The accuracy of your information is important to us to be able to provide relevant services more quickly. The Council is working to make our record keeping more efficient. In the meantime, if you change your address or email address, or if any of your circumstances change or any of the other information the Council holds is inaccurate or out of date, please email us or write to us at:
Climate Support
Environmental Services
West Oxfordshire District Council
Council Offices
Witney, OX28 1NB
customer.services@westoxon.gov.uk
Further information
If you would like to know more about how the Council uses your information, or if for any reason you do not wish to have your information used in any of the ways described in this privacy notice, please contact the Data Protection Officer at data.protection@westoxon.gov.uk
For more information about data protection please visit: www.westoxon.gov.uk/about-the-council/council-data-and-access-to-information/data-protection/
If you are concerned about the way the Council is handling your personal information you can contact the Information Commissioner (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
The Council reserve the right to update this privacy notice from time to time by publishing a new version on our website.