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Housing options and homelessness privacy notice

1 Council contact details

1.1

Daventry Area

Housing Options
West Northamptonshire Council
Communities and Opportunities Directorate
Lodge Road
Daventry
Northamptonshire
NN11 4FP

Email addresses: [email protected]
Phone number: 0300 126 7000

Northampton Area

Housing Options
West Northamptonshire Council
Communities and Opportunities Directorate
The Guildhall
Guildhall Square
Northampton
NN1 1DE

Email address: [email protected]
Tel: 0300 126 7000

South Northamptonshire Area

Housing Options
West Northamptonshire Council
Communities and Opportunities Directorate
The Forum
Moat Lane
Towcester
Northamptonshire
NN12 6AD

Email address: [email protected]
Phone number: 0300 126 7000

2 Information that we hold

2.1 We currently collect and process the following information for operating the statutory function of a housing service

  • Name and personal contact details
  • DOB and age
  • National Insurance Number
  • Personal circumstances
  • Housing history
  • Employment information
  • Immigration or nationality details
  • Details of race and ethnicity
  • Medical information
  • Sexual orientation
  • Customer financial information
  • Criminal conviction details
  • And any other information relevant to your application or circumstances

3 How the information is obtained

3.1 The Council’s housing service assesses your housing situation, provides advice, information and support if you are homeless, threatened with homelessness, in housing need or need housing assistance to access housing related support services.

Support services could include emergency or temporary accommodation, private rented, supported housing, financial support or any other housing type or related support service.

We only obtain and use the information we need to provide our services to you.

We also receive personal information indirectly, from other sources that may include:

  • Other Council departments
  • Northamptonshire Police, and other police forces
  • Other local authorities
  • Fire and Rescue
  • Financial institutions
  • National crime agency
  • Border Force
  • Registered provider
  • Other landlords
  • Members of the public
  • DWP
  • HMRC
  • Other organisations who may have for law enforcement reasons and to prevent, and detect fraud or crime

The Law we use to process your personal information

Statutory Legislation

The main legislation that provides us with the statutory basis to deliver our services is:

  • The Housing Acts 1985, 1988, 1996, 2002, 2004
  • The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
  • The Localism Act 2011
  • Protection from Eviction Act 1977
  • Local Government Act 1972
  • Care Act 2012
  • Children’s Act 2004

We can use your information because

  • You have given us your permission to use it and/or
  • We need to comply with the law
  • We need it protect you or someone else
  • We need it to provide you with a service as a local authority

You may have the right to stop us using your information or restrict our use of it by writing to us. If you do not give us your information or stop or restrict us from using it:

  • It may stop your housing or homelessness application (because we will not be able to check or process your application)
  • It may affect the decision we make
  • We may not be able to make a decision at all
  • We may not be able to provide you with the service at all

This information is only used for the reasons above but if we need to use it for any other reason we will tell you.

3.2 There are a number of reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information. Generally, we collect and use personal information where:

  • it is necessary to meet our legal obligations
  • you have requested a service from us
  • you have entered into a contract or agreement with us
  • it is necessary to protect public health
  • it is required for the defence of legal cases
  • it is needed for employment purposes
  • you, or your legal representative, have given us your consent
  • it is necessary for law enforcement reasons and to prevent, and detect fraud or crime
  • we need to protect individuals from harm (in an emergency); or
  • it is necessary for archiving, research, or statistical purposes. For these purposes your data would be used in a pseudonymised format (name and other identifying information replaced with a unique number).

4 What we do with the information

4.1 We use the information that you have given us in order to assesses your housing situation, provides advice, information and support if you are homeless, threatened with homelessness, in housing need or need housing assistance to access housing related support services.

  • Assess your housing eligibility and needs and agreeing the advice or support you need
  • Manage your tenancy or temporary accommodation
  • Asses, maintain and update your homelessness application or application to a housing related support service
  • Allocate you or refer you to accommodation
  • Refer you to housing related support services
  • Compile reports to assess demand for housing services
  • Ensure services provided on behalf of the Council are provided in line with contractual requirements and to a good standard
  • Investigate any issues or complaints about the service
  • Understand and project the need and demand for services, commissioning new services or altering current provision where necessary

4.2 We may share this information with other parties/organisations:

  • Other departments in West Northants Council, including Housing Benefit and Council Tax and Adult and Children’s services
  • Judicial agencies ie courts
  • Police, Fire and Rescue Services
  • The Courts, law enforcement agencies and bodies undertaking the collection of debts
  • Health agencies ie GP practices, Community Mental Health Team, hospitals
  • Education providers
  • Other Landlords – ALMO, Registered Providers
  • Suppliers of gas, electric, water, digital communications, mobile providers
  • Money and debt advice agencies
  • Other Local Authorities
  • Immigration services
  • The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
  • Safeguarding Boards
  • MARAC
  • MAPPA
  • Family members
  • Emergency Accommodation providers ie bed and breakfast, nightly let providers
  • Elected Members and MPs (as your representative)
  • Data reference and credit agencies
  • Housing related support services
  • The National Prison and Probation services

5 How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1 We keep your personal information for the purpose of assessing your housing situation, provide advice, information and support if you are homeless, threatened with homelessness, in housing need or need housing assistance to access housing related support services. This is in line with the council’s retention schedules.

5.2 We will securely dispose of your information in line with the council's retention schedules.

6 How we store your information

6.1 Your information is securely stored on the council’s systems.

7 Your data protection rights

7.1 The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 15 of the council’s Corporate Privacy Notice for further information.

7.2 Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

7.3 The right to withdraw consent. You can ask that we no longer use your details for this processing. If you wish to exercise this right, please contact the Data Protection Officer detailed in section 8.1 below.

8 Who to contact

8.1 If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2 If you are still dissatisfied once you have contacted the Data Protection Officer, you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Completion and review dates

This privacy notice was updated on 5 April 2022
The privacy notice review date is 5 April 2023

Last updated 06 July 2023