How we collect and use your personal data

We are the data controller for the personal information we hold about you in relation to processing of applications for flexible eligibility for OFGEM administered schemes, predominantly, but not restricted to Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). In order to comply with data protection legislation, we want to be sure you understand how we use this information.

The ECO4 Flexible Eligibility and the Great British Insulation Scheme is administered by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) and delivered locally by Warmer Homes Stafford.

For further information on how Warmer Homes Stafford uses your personal data, please see the Warmer Homes Stafford privacy notice.

Why we collect your personal data

Upon supplying your personal data, we and our contractor Warmer Homes Stafford will use your personal data to:

• confirm eligibility for schemes as required by OFGEM
• fulfil our responsibilities for determining whether households are eligible.
• to produce declarations for all eligible households that we identify.
• to comply with mandatory Ofgem checks for the duration of, and after the scheme closes.

Failure to provide your personal data will mean that we will be unable to process your application.

​​​​​Who we share your data with

Your personal data will be shared with our contractor Warmer Homes Stafford, energy suppliers and their installer/contractors and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM), who administers the scheme on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (ESNZ) who set the overall policy for the schemes.

We do this to ensure works completed under these schemes are compliant to the guidance issued by OFGEM, and in line with the published government regulations. These can be found at:

• Energy Company Obligation (ECO) - Local Authorities | Ofgem
• Great British Insulation Scheme - Local authorities | Ofgem
• The Electricity and Gas (energy company obligation) order 2023, The Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)

The above list is not meant to be exhaustive.

By supplying your personal data, you are consenting for us, and the organisations above, to use your personal data for the purposes of processing your application.

We will not normally share your information with organisations other than our partner organisations without your consent, however, there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law, to safeguard public safety, and if there is a risk of harm or emergency situations.

Any information which is shared will only be shared on a need-to-know basis, with appropriate individuals. Only the minimum information for the purpose will be shared. Otherwise, we will only share your data if you ask us to or if the law requires or allows us to.

Legal basis for using your information

Depending on the business area our legal basis for processing your information is:

• we're required to use your data to carry out legal obligations or to comply with a statutory function.
• we require information to fulfil a contract we have with you

We only hold this data for the time specified in our retention schedule or as required by law. This includes a secure off site data storage facility. 

If eligibility for a given scheme is confirmed, we will retain your data for up to three years after the final determination of the relevant scheme at a minimum as required of us by OFGEM.

If eligibility for a given scheme is not confirmed, then we shall retain your information for 12 months from the date of that decision.

This privacy notice covers the process Energy Company Obligation Local Authority Flexible Eligibility Scheme Round 4 (ECO Flex 4) and The Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) 

Further Information on how a particular Council service processes your data

Data protection law provides you with certain rights. Not all of these rights will be available to you in all situations, particularly where we process your information as part of one of our statutory duties. Where we are under a legal duty to use data for a particular purpose you will not have the right to prevent it being used in that way.

A full list of the rights you may have under data protection law can be found under the 'Your Rights' section on Privacy Notices.

If you wish to contact us in relation to any of your information rights, please contact the Information Manager at dpo@staffordbc.gov.uk or write to Information Manager, Civic Centre, Cannock Chase Council, Beecroft Road, Cannock, WS11 1BG.

If you wish to complain about how your personal information has been handled by us then please contact the Information Manager in the first instance using the details above. If you are not satisfied you can submit a formal complaint to the Council.

Finally, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 or you can visit the ICO website.