Household Support Fund Privacy Notice

The Household Support Fund aims to provide support to vulnerable households in most need of support for the period up to the 31 March 2025.

The funding has been made available by the Department for Work and Pensions and is being distributed by Lincolnshire County Council, - and for a particular element of this funding – through the City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council.

How to make an application

Specified professionals supporting residents can make a referral on your behalf if you are struggling with the cost of household essentials. An online and telephone application process will also be available for a set time during the period of the fund.

Reasons for eligible applications include, but are not limited to evidence of unmanageable debt, bereavement, poor physical or mental health, relationship breakdown, struggling with household bills, victim of domestic abuse, recently homeless or rough sleeping, change in income.

An application can be made for the following funds:

• £100 voucher towards food or utility bills (if adult only household)
• £150 voucher towards food or utility bills (if up to two children in household)
• £200 voucher towards food or utility bills (if 3 or more children)
• A limited number of shopping vouchers are also available.

Will you receive funding?

• Applicants must be residents of City of Lincoln Council or North Kesteven District Council aged over 18 years old
• Responsible for household bills
• Applications are limited to one per household
• This scheme is not linked to benefit eligibility, employment or immigrations status
• All funding will be processed and paid at the discretion of City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council

Data controllers

City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council are joint data controllers for the purposes of the support fund when it processes your personal data including receiving this from your application form, the referring organisation or from its own internal council departments.

To facilitate the payments of the funding through shopping vouchers we will provide your contact details (name and address) to a company called Charis Grants who will then become the data controller of your information and will share this with any third party whose products are being purchased by you through their website. Charis Grants privacy notice.

What we use your personal data for

Personal data is needed to establish potential eligibility and make the appropriate referral(s); and without such data residents will not be able to access the support fund.
Once your personal data (contact details only) has been passed to Charis Grants (if awarding by voucher) this will be used by them to facilitate the payment of the funding through your purchases on their website. Charis Grants will then share your contact details with any third party whose products you are purchasing.

Our lawful basis for processing your personal data

We must have a legal basis to process your personal data. Where we use your personal data for the purposes the support fund, our legal reason is that:

• the processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller, the council (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e))

For special category data (for example information about health conditions)

• the processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject (UK GDPR Article 9(2)(i))

District Councils exercise the official authority provided to them by Section 1 of the Localism Act 2011 in meeting statutory functions in relation to the delivery of public health services.

Who will we share your personal data with?

Your personal data will be shared by the referrer with us, if a voucher award is made, we will share your limited contact details only with Charis Grants. Charis Grants will then share your contact details only with the third party whose products you purchase through their website.

For audit and monitoring purposes, we will record the number and type of awards made from the Household Support Fund. We will also report on how the Household Support Fund has been spent to City of Lincoln and North Kesteven District Council councillors. This monitoring does not include any personal data.

The DWP requires local authorities to report on how the Household support Fund is spent using its Management Information (MI) Return Form. They do not require local authorities to provide any personal data.

We also use the information to review and evaluate the scheme. We will do this by using anonymised information and will not identify anyone.

If required and lawful to do so under the applicable legislation, we will share your information with other City of Lincoln and North Kesteven council departments such as:

• Finance to process the payment.
• Revenues and Benefit for the prevention and detection of crime and fraud. And to check you have received the correct entitlements to Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit and any other relevant discounts.
• Welfare who can offer advice on debt and income maximisation.
• Housing to check your rent and tenancy details.

Using your personal data for other purposes

We will not process your personal data for any other purpose than that for which it was collected, without first providing you with information on that other purpose and seeking your consent if applicable; except were we are required to disclose your personal data in accordance with legislation for example in relation to the prevention and detection of crime, counter terrorism, safeguarding, legal proceedings or to protect interests of you or another.

Transfers of personal data outside the UK

Your personal data is not routinely transferred outside the UK, but it is possible that Charis Grant may need to pass your data to organisations, who might be owned by a company registered in another country or store your data in another country. In these circumstances it is for receiving organisation as data controller to protect your personal data.

How long will we retain your personal data

The data we hold in relation to the scheme for six years from completion of the case in accordance with the Limitation Act 1980.

What are my rights in relation to my personal data?

You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you; to request we rectify or erase your personal data; to object to or restrict processing in certain circumstances; and a right of data portability in certain circumstances. 

Who can I complain to?

If you want to know more about your rights relating to the personal data we hold about you or you have a complaint regarding the way we have handled your personal information and you are a Lincoln resident please contact the Data Protection Officer at:

City of Lincoln Council, City Hall, Beaumont Fee, LN1 1DD or email: dpo@lincoln.gov.uk

If you are a resident of North Kesteven please contact the Corporate Information Manager at:

North Kesteven District Council, District Council Offices, Kesteven Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7EF or email: dataprotection@n-kesteven.gov.uk

If you however you remain unhappy, then you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner at: 

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

Telephone 0303 123 1113 (local rate)

Website: www.ico.org.uk