Privacy notice - Pan-Sussex Supported Housing Strategic Needs Assessment
Overview
This privacy notice covers Sussex Supported Housing Strategic Needs Assessment.
East Sussex County Council is the commissioning authority on behalf of a partnership of the local authorities in Sussex, including:
- Adur District Council
- Arun District Council
- Brighton & Hove City Council
- Chichester District Council
- Crawley Borough Council
- Eastbourne Borough Council
- Hastings Borough Council
- Horsham District Council
- Lewes District Council
- Mid-Sussex District Council
- Rother District Council
- Wealden District Council
- West Sussex County Council
- Worthing Borough Council
This privacy notice covers the commissioning of the strategic needs assessment by East Sussex County Council on behalf of the partner authorities, as well as the data processing activity East Sussex County Council will carry out for the project.
East Sussex County Council takes data protection seriously. Please be assured that your information will be used appropriately in line with data protection legislation, will be stored securely and will not be processed unless the requirements for fair and lawful processing can be met.
What information is being used?
The government has published statutory guidance for local authorities to produce strategic needs assessments for supported housing.
The guidance covers all types of supported housing including older people’s supported housing, long-term supported housing and transitional supported housing. The findings of the strategic needs assessment will guide the development of local supported housing strategies.
The strategic needs assessment must:
- map the current supply of supported housing
- describe the potential wider housing with care and support population
- identify the potential supported housing need within the wider housing with care and support population
- estimate net additional supported housing need.
The local authorities have appointed Private Public Limited (PPL) and Cordis Bright Limited to produce the needs assessment. To deliver the needs assessment we will share anonymised data with PPL and Cordis Bright, which will include gender, location based data (partial postcode or MSOA) and financial information relating to the cost of placements.
None of the information shared will be personally identifiable and PPL and Cordis Bright will not carry out any person level matching.
How will your information be used?
The information will be used to produce the needs assessment, setting out service needs and gaps in provision. This will provide the evidence base for new supported housing strategies.
We aim to maintain high standards, adopt best practice for our record keeping and regularly check and report on how we are doing. Your information is never sold for direct marketing purposes.
Our staff are trained to handle your information correctly and protect your confidentiality and privacy.
Your information is processed in the UK or in a country with an adequacy agreement with the UK.
What is the legal basis for processing your information?
- Necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject.
- Necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
How long will your information be kept for?
PPL and Cordis Bright will hold anonymised data returns from June 2026 until March 2027.
PPL and Cordis Bright Limited will share aggregate findings at the end of the project to support future reviews in line with the statutory guidance. Once each local authority has adopted their new supported housing strategy, PPL and Cordis Bright are required to delete their copy of the anonymous data.
Each partner authority is the data controller for information from its own systems.
East Sussex County Council commissioned the needs assessment on behalf of the partner authorities.
- Under CN1 14 of East Sussex County Council’s retention schedule anonymised processed data gathered from surveys and opinion polls can be kept for 6 years after the end of the survey.
- Under PR1 5 of East Sussex County Council’s retention schedule contracts where the contract is awarded and is under £499,999 pounds and or not under seal, information can be kept for 6 years after the end of the contract.
Sharing your information
Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (SHROA)
To comply with Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (SHROA) section 2 of the Act states:
(1) A local housing authority in England must
(a) carry out a review of the supported exempt accommodation in its district, and
(b) in the light of that review, publish a strategy, to be known as a 'supported housing strategy', for the provision of supported exempt accommodation in its district.
and
(4) The social services authority in respect of a district in England must give the local housing authority for that district (where that is a different authority) such assistance in connection with the carrying out of its duties under this section as the local housing authority may reasonably require.
Statutory guidance
To comply with the statutory guidance issued in February 2026, which requires supported housing strategies to be developed by March 2027.
For special category data
- Data Protection Act 2018 - Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 8
Other guidance
The assessment will align with:
- LGA Supported Housing Guidance (2025)
- Local Supported Housing Strategy – Statutory Guidance (2026)
- Best practice methodologies (e.g. Housing LIN)
- Forthcoming National Supported Housing Standards Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 (SHROA)
- Equality of opportunity and treatment
PPL and Cordis Bright will only receive anonymised data.
Any sharing of personal data is always done:
- on a case-by-case basis
- using the minimum personal data necessary
- with the appropriate security controls in place
- in line with legislation.
Information is only shared with those agencies and bodies who have a "need to know" or where you have consented to the sharing of your personal data to such persons.
We may use the information we hold about you to assist in the detection and prevention of crime or fraud. We may also share this information with other bodies that inspect and manage public funds.
Use of third party organisations
East Sussex County Council may share your information with trusted external organisations to process your data on our behalf.
The local authorities have appointed Private Public Limited and Cordis Bright Limited to produce the supported housing strategic needs assessment.
Any organisation commissioned by the Council will be under contractual obligation to comply with data protection legislation.
Your rights
Under data protection legislation, you have the right:
- to be informed why, where and how we use your information
- to ask for access to your information
- to ask for your information to be corrected if it is inaccurate or incomplete
- to ask for your information to be deleted or removed where there is no need for us to continue processing it
- to ask us to restrict the use of your information
- to ask us to copy or transfer your information from one IT system to another in a safe and secure way, without impacting the quality of the information
- to object to how your information is used
- to challenge any decisions made without human intervention (automated decision making)
Please visit data subject rights for further details.
How to find out more or complain
Should you have any further queries on the uses of your information, please speak directly to our service:
Michael Courts
East Sussex Housing Partnership Lead, Public Health
Email: michael.courts@eastsussex.gov.uk
To complain about the use of your information, please contact our Customer Services Team or our Data Protection Officer.
Further information on making a complaint.
You can also contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for further information or to make a complaint:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Phone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate)