Privacy Notice -Business Grants (COVID-19)

Privacy Notice - Business Grants (COVID-19)

Chorley Borough Council takes your privacy seriously. This notice sets out what we will do with your personal information and who we may share it with. 

How we use your information

We collect your information to undertake assessment of applications for the following Grant Funding Schemes to enable us to make payments for those successful applications: 

1.    Small Business Grant Fund 
2.    Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund 
3.    Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund
4.    Local Restrictions Support Grant Fund
5.    Additional Restrictions Grant Fund
6.    Christmas Support Payment
7.    Closed Business Lockdown Payment
8.    Restart Grant Fund

In doing so, we will collect:

• contact details (name / business name / business address / telephone number / email address)
• financial information about your business (this includes bank account details)
• copies of business bank statements to prove your business address, rent / mortgage payments, trading as of the qualifying date and loss of income as a result of COVID-19
• copies of rent / mortgage agreement to prove your business occupation and occupation  on the qualifying date and any other documents which you supply to support your application
• number of employees
• your latest business accounts to prove loss of income as a result of COVID-19
• business rates account number (if applicable)
• VAT number (if applicable)
• Unique Tax Reference Number (if applicable)
• company number (if applicable) 
• any other personal data to support your application 

The personal information you provide will not be used for any other purpose unless required by law, to prevent or detect crime or to protect public funds.

Length of time we keep your information 

We will keep your personal information for 7 years from successful award of the funding (6 years plus the current year)

Sharing your information 

So that the Council can provide you with an efficient service, we may occasionally need to share your information with partner organisations that support the delivery of the service you receive. 

Where information is shared, the Council has written agreements and protocols in place to ensure that your data is secure and protected to the same levels that the Council requires.

Grant recipients may be contacted for research purposes. Your data will be shared with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for research and evaluation purposes.

Your information may also be shared with authorised bodies where the Council is required to do so by law or to protect public funding from fraud. This will at all-times be in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. In particular, it will be shared with the National Fraud Initiative which is part of the Cabinet office. 

Data matching by the Cabinet Office is subject to a Code of Data Matching Practice. For further information regarding the Cabinet Office's legal powers and the reasons why it data matches particular information please refer to the National Fraud Initiative Privacy Notice.

Retention and Transferring of data outside of the EU

We will at all time hold your information securely, in hard copy format, electronically or both.

Your personal data will be kept secure by the Council and will be kept within the European Economic Union (EEU). Where the Council uses a third party to store your personal data and it is stored outside of the UK/EEU, the Council will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to keep your personal data secure.

Individual rights

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

The Data Controller for your information

The Data Controller for information you provide for this service is Chorley Council, Town Hall, Market Street, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1DP.

The Data Processors for your information

Your information may be provided to other organisations for processing in relation to this service. The Council has strict agreements in place with all Data Processors to ensure your information is protected. 

Data Protection Officer

The Council has a duty to appoint a Data Protection Officer. The Council's nominated Data Protection Officer is Chris Moister, Director of Governance, Chorley Borough Council, Town Hall, Market Street, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1DP

If you have any queries, would like to exercise your rights or make a complaint, contact the Data Protection Officer:

•    by email to foi@chorley.gov.uk
•    telephone 01257 515151
•    or write to them at Chorley Borough Council, Town Hall, Market Street, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1DP

If you are not happy with how we have handled your complaint, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office to make a complaint about what we do with your information:

•    Telephone them on 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number
•    Visit their website at www.ico.org.uk
•    Write to them at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF