Buckinghamshire Council Housing Allocations Scheme

Last updated: 1 April 2022

9. Data Protection and information sharing

9.1 Data Protection

9.1.1 All information held by the Council is subject to the Data Protection Legislation (including the Data Protection Act 2018 (“DPA”) and the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 2016 (“GDPR”). Information will be used in accordance with each Managing Partner’s Privacy Notice which can be found on their websites.

9.1.2 In order to deal with an application the Applicants personal data will be used and the Council will contact third parties to obtain and share information in order to comply with the statutory obligation of processing the Applicant’s housing and/or homelessness application. The processing of such personal data is necessary for the Council to comply with their legal obligations under the law on housing and homelessness.

9.2 Information Sharing

Information about the Applicants relating to their housing options, homelessness and/or threatened homelessness may be shared with third parties including but not limited to private sector landlords, Registered Providers, lettings agents, health services, children, family and adult services, education services, Department of Work and Pensions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax services, the Police, prisons, probation and youth offending services, Citizens Advice and voluntary sector organisations.

The Council will on an annual basis publish lettings information including the age, sex, ethnicity and nationality of applicants and new tenants. This information will be statistical only and will not identify individual applications or tenants.

9.3 Councillor or MP enquiries on behalf of Applicants.

The Council will provide to its Councillors and MPs personal data about the Applicant if the Applicant asks it to or if the Councillor or MP reasonably needs it to carry out their duties, but the Councillor and/or MP must not use it for other purposes.

9.4 Enquiries made on behalf of applicants by an advocate organization.

Where an enquiry is received by an advocate/ organisation on your behalf, the Council may release your “personal data” in response to their queries; this may include information on your age, marital status, housing history, household type, economic status, benefits, income, support services received and medical history.

The Council will only release information and discuss an applicant’s case with an advocate agency if the applicant has given written consent to do. The applicant will be asked to sign a data release consent form.