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Housing Strategy privacy notice

1. Council contact details

1.1. West Northamptonshire Council
Registered Office:
One Angel Square
Angel Street
Northampton, NN1 1ED

Contact centre telephone: 0300 126 7000

The Data Controller is West Northamptonshire Council

ICO registration number: ZA896620

The Housing Strategy team can be contacted by email at [email protected].

1.2. This privacy notice sets out the information for the Council’s Housing Strategy Service which covers:

  • First Homes Sales
  • Discounted Market Sales

These types of homes aim to provide discounted homes which are a specific kind of affordable homeownership for eligible buyers who meet certain eligibility criteria.

This notice explains what personal data (information) we hold about you and your nominee, how we collect, how we use and may share information about you. We are required to give you this information under data protection law.

1.3. This privacy notice should be read in conjunction with the Corporate Privacy Notice and the Data Protection Policy

2. Information that we hold

2.1. Information about the types of data we collect to deliver this service

The personal and special category data we collect varies according to the purpose of the contact.  Applications for our services are not restricted to people living or working in Northamptonshire. Anyone is entitled to contact the Council about our service.

The information we hold may include:

  • First home applicant name(s)
  • Proposed first homes owner name(s)
  • Date of birth
  • Current and proposed address
  • Occupation
  • E-mail address
  • Contact telephone number
  • Tenure of current home
  • Household income
  • Local connections to WNC
  • Confirmation of key worker, employer, job title/role (if applicable)
  • Confirmation of armed forces, unit and job title/role (if applicable)
  • Number of people expected to live in new household
  • Whether you are a first-time buyer
  • Financial information including confirmation of mortgage lending in principle, reservation fee paid, deposit amount, discounted property price, mortgage amount and lender
  • Reference numbers including Application number, conveyancing reference, mortgage reference
  • Title registration

3. How and why your information is collected and used

3.1. How we collect this personal information

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you in the following ways:

  • Application form
  • Telephone
  • Email or in writing

3.2. Why we collect your information

There are a number of reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information.

Much of what we do in Housing is governed by legislation, set nationally, which requires us to provide various services across West Northamptonshire.

We process personal data to deliver public tasks outlined in the follow pieces of legislation:

  • Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (Section 106)
  • Finance Act 2003 (Schedule 6ZA)
  • Housing and Regeneration Act 2008
  • Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
  • Local Government Act 1972 and Localism Act 2011
  • Land Registration Act 2002

The information we collect, and store is also used to provide an auditable record of service delivery and enables us to contact people initiating reports/issues to request further information or provide updates.

Whenever we collect information, we always limit this to only the details that are needed. We ensure that data is used and stored safely and securely. We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too. All Housing Strategy staff have received training on data protection and information security.

3.3. Lawful processing

We rely on the following lawful reasons to process your person data in the Property Response Service 

UK GDPR Article 6

  1. Explicit consent has been provided by the data subject;

4. What we do with the information

4.1. How we use your personal information

In order to verify whether you meet the eligibility criteria for one of the ‘first homes/ discounted market housing’ provided within West Northamptonshire.

Personal data will have been provided to developers or estate agents and conveyancers by applicants for the first homes/ discounted market housing. The application will be initially made through the housebuilder who will check all information and determine if eligibility criteria are met. The form (but not the evidence) will be sent to the council for confirmation. The council will only request further evidence or data if there are any issues with the application.

Once an application is approved, the purchaser’s appointed conveyancer is then required to complete an undertaking (known as the “Solicitors Undertaking”), confirming purchaser compliance and property valuation. The undertaking will be submitted to the council for confirmation. Again, the council will only request further evidence or data if there are any issues with the undertaking.

Once approved, the purchase can progress to completion, upon which point the purchaser’s conveyancer will provide the council with a certificate of title to ensure a first homes/ discounted market housing restriction has been registered.

We may also receive information directly from first homes/ discounted market housing owners when the properties are to be sold and in response to requests for feedback on the scheme

4.2. Who we share your information with

In order to deliver a range of Housing Strategy services, to undertake our statutory and non-statutory duties as a Local Authority and for us to deliver associated projects or programmes, it is often necessary for us to share information across the council, with your nominated conveyancer, Mortgage/Home purchase plan provider, with government departments such as the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

We will share personal information with law enforcement agencies or other authorities only if required by applicable law and in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

4.3. Automated Decision making

We do not use automated decision making for this processing. Automated decision-making is where decisions are made about you without any human influence on the outcome. These may affect your legal rights or have an impact on your circumstances, behavior or choices.

4.4. Data Profiling

There is no profiling undertaken in relation to this processing. Profiling is where parts of an individual’s personality, behavior, interests and habits are analysed to identify their preferences, make predictions or decisions about them.

4.5. Automated Processing including AI

The Housing Strategy service does not use automated processing or Artificial Intelligence in respect of your personal data.

E.g. Automated processing includes use of internal or external text generation tools to create case file notes and reports. Artificial Intelligence includes the use of software to complete tasks more usually undertaken by people.

5. How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1. Information about how your personal data is kept.

We only keep information for as long as it is needed in line with the council’s retention schedule. This will differ according to the type of information we hold and its purpose. It will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we have to keep information for a specific period of time), a regulatory requirement or accepted business practice.

5.2. We will securely dispose of your information in line with the Council's Retention Schedules.

6. How we store your information

6.1. Physical (paper) records

The Housing Strategy Service do not retain physical information.

6.2 Electronic information

Digital data is securely stored on the council’s computer network or on cloud severs in the UK.

7. Your data protection rights

7.1. The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 5 of the council’s the council's Privacy Policy for further information.

7.2. Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

8. Who to contact

8.1. If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2. If you are still dissatisfied with how we have used your data once you have made a complaint through the council’s internal complaints procedure you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

9. Changes to this Service Privacy Notice

9.1 Privacy notices are live documents and will be updated or revised periodically in line with service changes and / or new legislation requirements.

This privacy notice was last updated Feb 2026.

The update reference number is: PNS/26/052/A

Last updated 02 February 2026