PRIVACY POLICY & DATA PROTECTION

Personal information

This privacy notice tells you how we use and protect your personal information. It covers what personal information we collect from you, why we collect and use it, and who we share it with.

Personal information is any information that can be used to identify a living person, either directly or indirectly. This may include obvious information, such as name and address, or less obvious information, such as IP address or NHS number

Special category data is personal data considered highly sensitive, such as information about a person's race, religion, political opinions, health, sex life, or sexual orientation, which requires stricter legal protection under the UK GDPR.

Introduction

The T&RA collects, holds and processes a considerable amount of information, including personal information about residents, people it provides services to, and other people. In most cases, it is supplied by it memebers.

The T&RA recognises that it has a duty to people whose information it holds to treat that information responsibly, keep it safe and secure, and process it correctly and proportionately. This privacy notice broadly explains what information we collect, the purpose for processing, categories of personal information and who we may share it with.

To understand how your own personal information is processed you may need to refer to any personal communications you have received, check any privacy notices the T&RA has provided or contact the T&RA directly to ask about your personal circumstances.

Identity and Contact Details

The TRA are registered as a Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018.

Email the Chair: contact@dmtra.co.uk

Collecting your information

In order to:

·         Fulfil our functions as a TRA

·         Pursue other lawful/legitimate interests on behalf of our Members and Service Users

we collect information about individuals. This information is collected in a number of ways, for example, by:

·         letter

·         email

·         face-to-face

·         telephone

·         online forms

·         social media

·         referrals made by third parties, and other key stakeholders acting jointly or on behalf of the T&RA.

Purpose for processing your information

We may collect personal data about you which covers basic details such as:

·         name

·         address

·         telephone number

·         date of birth

·         We also collect some sensitive information also known as special category data, such as health data, ethnicity or religious beliefs, but only where it is needed to provide a service, fulfil a legal obligation and/or for monitoring equality of both for customers and employees.

We will always explain to you why and how this information will be used. We will always demonstrate to you what our lawful basis is for processing this type of information and where appropriate seek your consent.

As described above, we collect and process information about you, so that we can carry out tasks. This includes but is not limited to:

·         Act as a collective voice for members, communicating their views, concerns, and needs to the council and/or landlord.

·         Actively work to find solutions to local problems, including housing maintenance issues, safety concerns, and environmental improvements.

·         Build community spirit by organising social activities, events, and projects that bring residents together and help them get to know each other.

·         Serve as a central point for information, keeping residents informed about local issues and the activities of the association.

·         Help to shape decisions about the management of their estate or neighbourhood, ensuring residents have a say in services and local planning.

·         Support community projects, such as community gardens, and can apply for grants to fund their activities

We collect and process the following categories of personal information:

·         personal and family details

·         lifestyle and social circumstances

·         goods and services

·         financial details

·         employment and education details

·         housing needs

·         visual images, personal appearance and behaviour

·         licenses or permits held

·         student and pupil records

·         business activities

·         case file information

In some circumstances we also collect and process special categories and conviction data. This type of personal information includes:

·         racial or ethnic origin

·         political opinions

·         religious or philosophical beliefs

·         trade union membership

·         genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a person

·         data concerning health

·         data concerning a person’s sex life or sexual orientation

Conviction Data

This type of personal data covers criminal allegations, proceedings or convictions and security measures. For the council this is likely to be collected where the focus is on:

·         specific employment requirements

·         fraud investigations

·         safeguarding issues

·         equality initiatives

·         vital interests of the data subject or other individuals

Collecting your personal information will always be for a specified purpose or set of related purposes. However, if we intend to use it for any other new purposes, we will normally ask you first. For instance, in some cases, the T&RA may wish to use your information for improving and developing its services, or to prevent and/or detect fraud.

Where practicable and reasonable we will always seek to inform you of any significant proposed changes to how we process or intend to process your personal data, in order to ensure full transparency over how we handle your information. This can be achieved either at the corporate or service level, i.e. whichever is relevant for notifying you of significant changes or where it necessitates obtaining your consent to the processing.

T&RA’s commitments under the GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018

The T&RA's commitment will be to ensure that the data is:

·         processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner

·         collected for a specific and legitimate purpose. It will not be used for anything other than this stated purpose

·         relevant and limited to whatever the requirements are for which they are processed

·         accurate, and where necessary, kept up to date.  Any identified inaccuracies will be amended or removed without undue delay

·         stored for as long as required, as specified on our records retention policy

·         secured with appropriate solutions, which protect the data against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage

The T&RA will demonstrate its compliance with these principles.

Sharing your information

We will sometimes need to share information between council departments, services and elected councillors, as well as other organisations such as:

·         our partners

·         third party contractors

·         government bodies

·         the police

·         health and social care organisations

·         housing associations

·         landlords

·         educational establishments

We will only share information where it is appropriate and legal to do so. We may also share information, for example, if there is a risk of serious harm or threat to life, for the prevention and detection of fraud or crime, assessment of any tax or duty or if we are required to do so by any court or law. Where this is necessary, we are required to comply with all aspects of the data protection laws.

Details for transfers

It may sometimes be necessary to transfer personal information overseas. When this is needed, information may be transferred to countries or territories around the world. Any transfers made will be in full compliance with all aspects of the UK Data Protection Act 2018.

How long we keep your information

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

We may also anonymise some personal data you provide to us to ensure that you cannot be identified and use this data to allow the T&RA to effectively target and plan the provision of services.

Changes in your personal circumstances

We ask you notify us immediately if there are any changes in your circumstances and personal details so we can maintain an accurate and up to date record of your information.

If you have any concerns

You have a right to complain to us if you think we have not complied with our obligation for handling your personal information, email the Chair at contact@dmtra.co.uk

Changes to our Privacy Notice

As the T&RA creates new services, this may generate need to amend the Notice. Any changes with regard to how the T&RA processes personal data will be posted on this page.