Privacy and Personal Data

South Hams District Council are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and will inform you of how we process your information.

Privacy Notice - Homes for Ukraine

South Hams District Council takes your privacy seriously.

We will use your information in order to co-ordinate and deliver appropriate and suitable housing and accommodation offers from vetted sponsors, to visa-cleared scheme applicants fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. This notice sets out what we will do with your personal information and who we may share it with in respect of the above.

What information about you do we collect?

We collect the following information in relation to sponsors:

  • Name
  • Address and postcode
  • Email address
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Phone number
  • Details of property (number of bedrooms etc)
  • Financial details
  • Safeguarding checks outcomes/flags
  • Immigration status of sponsor

Above details will also be collected on individuals in the same household as the sponsor (or a recommended sponsor)

We collect the following information in relation to guests:

  • Name
  • Accommodation address and postcode
  • Email address
  • Date of birth
  • Phone number
  • Nationality
  • Sex
  • Potential family members
  • Passport number

We also collect the following special category information in relation to sponsors:

  • Criminal allegations convictions or offences
  • Safeguarding

We also collect the following special category information in relation to guests:

  • Racial or ethnic origin
  • Health information

How do we collect information about you?

Relevant personal data will be collected:

We receive information directly, or indirectly, from the following sources:

  • You as an individual by:

    • Our online form
    • Email
    • Telephone
    • In person
  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
  • Disclosure and Barring Service
  • Public Protection Partnership

How will your personal data be used?

Your personal data will be used in the following ways:

The data received will be used to conduct suitability checks and for the administration of payments associated with the scheme.

The council will undertake the following checks:

  • Pre-arrival and post-arrival checks
  • Accommodation checks
  • Address validation checks
  • Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
  • Any other checks required by to assess your suitability as a host

In addition to the checks above the council will also:

  • Provide support to Ukrainian guests and hosts. (For example safeguarding, assistance in accessing public services, assistance in accessing education, employment and training and community integration)
  • Administer funds associated with the scheme (for example sponsor and guest financial payments)

The Legal basis for processing your data

Your personal data is processed under the following legal bases:

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.'

Where we use consent to process your personal data, we will explain to you what we are asking you to agree to and why.

If we have consent to use your personal data, you have the right to remove it at any time.

If you want to remove your consent, please contact the data protection officer and we will deal with your request.

If you remove your consent, we are unlikely to be able to provide continued services to you.

Article 6 1(c) and Article 6 1(e)

  • 'Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject;' and
  • 'Processing is necessary for the performance of  task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.'

The public tasks that we carry out and the legal obligations we are subject to are found in the: 

Your special category data is processed under the following legal bases:

Article 9 2(a)

'The data subject has given explicit consent to the processing of those personal data for one or more specified purposes'

Article 9 2(g)

'Processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of domestic law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject.'

Who will your personal data be shared with?

Information held by the councils may be shared with the following organisations:

  • Adult social care Devon County Council
  • Children's social care Devon County Council
  • Disclosure and Barring Service
  • Welfare and housing
  • Other council departments, such as the payments teams, as necessary to provide the services outlined as part of the scheme
  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
  • Home Office
  • Devon and Cornwall Police
  • Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, where consent is provided
  • Other hosts where consent is provided
  • Charities, where consent is provided
  • Other organisations as necessary to provide the services outlined as part of the scheme

We share the information in order to provide the services outlined above as part of the scheme:

  • Safeguarding purposes including accommodation checks and doorstep visits
  • Welfare support including the provision of initial essentials to the guest
  • Host support network
  • General administration including support payments

The Councils will never sell your data to anyone else.

Transferring of data outside the EU

Your data will not be transferred outside the EU. It will be securely stored electronically within the UK only, unless it was necessary for safeguarding or for the prevention and detection of crime.

Length of time we keep your information

For information transferred from central government, the retention period will be up to 2 years after closure of the scheme, as per Memorandum of Understanding (published by DLUHC). At the end of the 2-year period, our access to the government portal will be removed.

For personal data held by the council for its own functions, the retention period will be as set out in our retention and disposal schedule.

We will then delete or destroy your personal data securely in line with agreed retention periods where information is not required to be retained as part of our statutory obligations.

Individual rights

You have a number of rights under the General Data Protection Regulations. These can be found on the ICO website

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the data protection officer.

The Data Controller for your information

South Hams District Council
Follaton House,
Plymouth Road,
Totnes,
Devon
TQ9 5NE

Data Protection Officer

The Councils have a duty to appoint a Data Protection Officer. The Council's Data Protection Officer is Drew Powell, South Hams District Council/West Devon Borough Council, Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5NE

If you have any queries about our privacy notices or would like to exercise your data rights or make a complaint, please contact the Data Protection Officer by email, telephoning 01803 861234 or writing to them at Data Protection Officer, South Hams District Council/West Devon Borough Council, Follaton House, Plymouth Road, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5NE

If you are not happy with how we have handled your complaint, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office to raise your concerns about how we have processed your information or how we have responded to your request to exercise any of your rights in relation to your information:

  • Telephone them on 0303 123 1113
  • Visit their website at www.ico.org.uk/concerns
  • Write to them at:
    Information Commissioner's Office
    Wycliffe House
    Water Lane
    Wilmslow
    Cheshire
    SK9 5AF