Your Personal Data
Our privacy notice explains what personal information is collected, what it is used for and who it is provided to. The notice also describes why the Council requires your data, and the legal basis on which it does this.
This privacy notice relates to the Council’s Allotment functions. It provides additional information that specifically relates to this particular service and should be read together with our general privacy notice, which provides more detail on the questions below. Privacy Notices – Chorley
Who we are
We are Chorley Council and your privacy is important to us. We aim for full transparency on how we gather, use and share your personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
Chorley Council is a data controller. This means we need to collect your personal data so we can process your allotment application. We will only collect the personal data from you that we need in order to deal with your application.
What personal Information does this service use
- name
- address
- date of birth – to support concession allocation
- telephone Number
- email Address
- information about your use of our services, such as waiting list, tenancy, schedule of charges, use of plots, inspection records
This service also uses the following special category information:
Health information, such as disability, to provide the most appropriate plot for access, apply a rent concession and charge the correct rent.
What is your personal information used for?
The Council uses your personal data for the following reasons:
To comply with our public and statutory functions to provide an allotment service. We use your contact details to notify you of available allotments and to arrange plot viewings. If you choose to take on a plot, your information is used to draw up a tenancy agreement. We then use your information for contractual and billing purposes, as well as for communications relating to the allotment service.
This includes using your information to:
- maintain and administer the Allotments service database and supporting systems;
- maintain our accounts and financial records; process relevant financial transactions; and follow up outstanding plot rental payments;
- identify you when you contact us and when we contact you;
- contact you in the event of a problem with your tenancy/plot or notify you of changes to your plot or agreement e.g. repairs, maintenance;
- send out allotment service information, including tenancy renewal or rent uplift information;
- investigate and respond to enquiries related to allotments;
- investigate complaints, such as property damage, anti-social behaviour or other concerns;
- monitor complaints, comments and other feedback;
- support research (where your information will be anonymised).
If your tenancy has been terminated due to breaches of the Allotment Rules, we may keep your information for up to three years following the termination of your tenancy.
What is the lawful basis we are relying on?
We collect and use this information under :
Article 6(1)(b) UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)- For the performance of a contract
Article 6(1)(e ) UK GDPR- Where it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of local authority functions under the Allotment Act 1908 as modified under the Allotment Act 1950
Article 6(1)(d) UK GDPR - In an emergency situation where it is necessary to protect the vital interests of any individual.
In some circumstances, we might rely on your consent under Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR for marketing purposes including when you wish to take part in allotment related competitions or publicity. You can withdraw your consent at any time by letting us know.
We use information about your health/disability for reasons of substantial public interest in accordance with Article 9 (2)(g) UK GDPR and Schedule 1 Part 2, as part of our statutory functions to provide a suitable plot based on access, and identify or keep under review equality of opportunity or treatment.
Where has the personal information come from?
The majority of the personal information that we hold has been provided by you in your application for an allotment (via the waiting list and information you have included when completing a tenancy agreement).
Information about you may come from other departments of the Council, for example from our Finance teams in relation to rent payments.
Who will your information be shared with?
Your information will initially be administered by the Council's Open Space Strategy Team, and shared securely with the following organisations or services where it is both necessary and appropriate to do so.
We may be required to share your personal data with the Council’s internal departments where it is necessary to do so as part of the Allotment service functions. For example;
- our Finance teams to facilitate the invoicing and collection of allotment rent payments; or
- the Council’s wider Streetscene services, Animal Welfare, Environmental Health, Trading Standards or other services in relation to maintenance or environmental matters - such as bonfires, noise, pest control and waste disposal.
We will never sell your data. However, we may share some of your personal information with third parties to
- help prevent fraud.
- pursue people or companies who owe us money. We may share your information with debt collection agencies.
- help business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors to deliver any contract we enter with them or you.
- help us if we are need additional professional or legal advice on a matter relating to you.
- to improve and optimise the performance of our websites and social media accounts. Analytics and search engine providers that we use can collect your data when you interact with us online. However, they will aggregate and anonymise the information, meaning we can't identify any individual personally
- exceptionally, we may need to share information about you with the law enforcement agencies such as the police if we need to report theft, criminal damage or if we suspect that an allotment is used for unlawful purposes;
- we may share your information with animal welfare organisations if required.
We need to hold accurate and up to date information about you so that we can deliver appropriate services. If any of your details change, you need to tell us as soon as possible so that we can update your records.
We will not:
- use your information for marketing or sales purposes without your prior explicit consent
- send or store your data abroad unless it meets the requirements of the Data Protection regulations.
- make decisions about you based on automated processing.
We may share your data with South Ribble Borough Council as part of the shared services arrangements.
How long will we hold your data for?
We keep all records relating to your application for an allotment for up to 6 years from the end of the tenancy. Records are then destroyed.
Records relating to the allocation of allotments to individual allotment holders and the management of the tenancy are retained until the allotment is given back to Chorley Council.
Allotment waiting lists should be kept up to date and reviewed every 2 years.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- request a copy of your information (known as a subject access request)
- request rectification or erasure of your information,
- request a restriction on the processing of your information, and,
- object to processing of your information,
- complain to the Information Commissioner's Office about the way the Council processes your information
- set your browser to remove or reject cookies before using Chorley Council website.
If you require further information about the use of your data or would like to exercise any of the above rights, please contact: Data Protection Officer, Chorley Council, Town Hall, Market Street, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 1DP.
If you are dissatisfied with how we have used your personal information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at casework@ico.org.uk.
Website information
Chorley Council encourages you to review the privacy statements of Web sites you choose to link to from Chorley Council so that you can understand how those Web sites collect, use and share your information. Chorley Council is not responsible for the privacy statements or other content on Web sites outside of the Chorley Council family of Web sites.
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Updated June 2025