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SNWCS Privacy Notice

The following Privacy Notice applies to the Sussex North Water Certification Scheme (SNWCS).

This Notice explains how personal information is going to be used, what it is used for, who it might be shared with and why and for how long it is to be kept.

Horsham District Council (HDC) is fully committed to complying with The Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  We ensure that your personal data is processed fairly, lawfully kept safe and secure and retained for no longer than is necessary.

Data Controller

The Sussex North Water Certification Scheme (SNWCS) is operated by Horsham District Council (HDC) on behalf of the ‘Sussex North authorities’, which are Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid Sussex District Council, South Downs National Park Authority and West Sussex County Council.

HDC is the Data Controller for most SNWCS data processing activities. Each Sussex North authority participating in the scheme is an independent Data Controller for any SNWCS personal data they process.

HDC is registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration number: Z7294458. You can view our registration on the ICO website. As a Data Controller we take all necessary steps to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and the UK GDPR when handling any personal information.

What information does SNWCS collect?

SNWCS collects and processes personal data to administer the scheme, including:

  • Applicant/customer contact details (name, company, address and email address)
  • Applicant/customer payment information (value of payment)
  • Money laundering check documentation

No special category personal data is collected. All other SNWCS data is anonymised or publicly available.

Why does SNWCS process personal data?

Personal data is processed to:

  • Administer SNWCS applications and associated planning applications
  • Manage scheme finances and issue certificates
  • Comply with legal obligations (e.g. money laundering checks)
  • Support scheme governance, reporting, and audit

Who has access to data?

  • SNWCS staff based at HDC
  • Internal IT support staff
  • Development Management staff at the Sussex North authorities (for SNWCS Certificate verification)
  • Legal staff at the Sussex North authorities (only where required to support, for example, the production of Section 106 agreements)

We do not sell your personal information to anyone else, nor do we share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. Data will only be shared with third parties where required for legal, monitoring or regulatory purposes, and will be anonymised where possible.

Details of transfers to third country and safeguards

SNWCS data is not routinely transferred outside the UK. If data is transferred internationally (e.g. via cloud services), appropriate safeguards will be applied in line with UK GDPR, including encryption and contractual protections.

How does the council protect data?

Horsham District Council takes the security of your data seriously. We have internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees, or those of relevant officers for the other Sussex North authorities, in the proper performance of their duties.

The personal information that we collect from you must be handled and dealt with properly, covering how it is collected, recorded and used whether it is on paper, in computer records or recorded by other means and how long it is kept.

For how long does the council keep data?

We will only keep your information for as long as it is required to be retained. The retention period is either dictated by law or by our discretion. Once your information is no longer needed it will be securely and confidentially destroyed.

For SNWCS processing, we will hold your data in accordance with the project’s Knowledge & Information Management Plan, which is based on HDC’s Data Retention Schedule.

What is the Legal Basis to allow us to use your personal information?

We process personal data under the following lawful basis:

  • Public task – for tasks carried out in the public interest or under official authority
  • Legal obligation – to comply with statutory duties

What if you do not provide personal data?

If you do not provide the required personal data, we may be unable to:

  • Process your SNWCS application
  • Issue SNWCS certification
  • Complete financial transactions
  • Comply with legal obligations

Your rights

You have the right to:

  1. Be informed of data processing (which is covered by this Privacy Notice).
  2. Access information (by making a Subject Access Request by contacting the Information Governance Team using the details below).
  3. Have inaccuracies corrected.
  4. Have information erased.
  5. Restrict processing.
  6. Data portability.
  7. Intervention in respect of automated decision making and profiling.
  8. Withdraw consent.
  9. Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

To exercise any of these rights please write to Information Governance Team, Albery House, Springfield Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2GB or email dpa@horsham.gov.uk.

Contact us

As a public authority we are required to have a Data Protection Officer who is responsible for monitoring Horsham District Council’s compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR and other data protection laws.

To contact the Data Protection Officer, write to Data Protection Officer, Albery House, Springfield Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 2GB or email dpa@horsham.gov.uk

Last review date: 25 September 2025