Guidance

Capacity to Build: privacy notice

Published 25 August 2026

Applies to England

1. About this notice

This privacy notice explains how the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) collects, uses, stores and protects personal data in connection with the Capacity to Build programme. It also explains your rights under data protection legislation and how to contact us if you have questions about how your information is used.

Capacity to Build is a government-funded programme designed to help councils strengthen their skills, capacity and capability to deliver new social and affordable housing. The programme includes the Council Housebuilding Support Fund, the Council Housebuilding Support Service and the expanded Pathways to Planning programme.

This notice covers MHCLG’s processing of personal data for programme design, funding decisions, governance, oversight, monitoring, evaluation, stakeholder engagement and coordination with delivery partners. Where partner organisations process personal data for their own delivery responsibilities, their own privacy information may also apply. 

1.1  Who is MHCLG?

1.1a Partner organisations

The programme is delivered in partnership with Homes England and the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government (IDeA), with authorised Local Government Association (LGA) personnel involved in relevant delivery activity where permitted by the programme arrangements.

Homes England delivers the Council Housebuilding Support Fund on behalf of MHCLG. This includes administration, assessment, monitoring and recommendations to MHCLG on grant allocations. Homes England is an independent controller for the personal data it processes for its own programme responsibilities.

The IDeA is the legal entity that has entered into the data-sharing agreement with MHCLG for the Council Housebuilding Support Service. The LGA is associated with IDeA and authorised LGA personnel may support delivery activity where permitted by the relevant arrangements. IDeA is an independent controller for personal data it processes for those purposes.

The Council Housebuilding Support Service and expanded Pathways to Planning programme are delivered by IDeA, with support from authorised LGA personnel where appropriate. These programmes provide support, training, advice and workforce development opportunities to help councils strengthen their capacity and capability to deliver new social and affordable housing.

To support delivery of the programme, MHCLG, Homes England and the IDeA may share personal data relating to individuals acting in a professional capacity, such as local authority officers. Information will only be shared where necessary for programme delivery, monitoring, evaluation, governance or support activities, and in accordance with data protection legislation and agreed data-sharing arrangements.

MHCLG, Homes England and IDeA are each responsible for the personal data they process in connection with their respective programme responsibilities and must comply with their own obligations under data protection legislation.

1.2 Information we collect

Depending on how you engage with the programme, we may collect and process:

• your name
• job title or role
• organisation or employer
• business email address
• business telephone number
• correspondence and communications with MHCLG, Homes England, IDeA or authorised LGA personnel
• information included within funding applications, expressions of interest or support requests
• information relating to participation in programme activities, events, workshops and support offers
• monitoring and evaluation information relating to programme delivery and participation

The programme is expected to process information about individuals acting in a professional capacity, such as local authority officers, representatives of partner organisations and staff involved in programme delivery.

Personal data may be provided directly by you, by your council or employer, or by another organisation involved in programme delivery, including Homes England, IDeA or authorised LGA personnel. Information may also be generated through programme administration, funding applications, support activity, engagement events, monitoring, evaluation, assurance and correspondence.

We do not intentionally collect or process special category personal data or information relating to criminal convictions and offences as part of programme delivery. Applicants and participating organisations should not include this information in free-text fields or correspondence unless it has been specifically requested and is necessary. If such information is submitted inadvertently, it will be assessed and handled in line with applicable data protection requirements, including deletion or restricted handling where appropriate. 

1.3 How we process your information 

MHCLG processes personal data to support the delivery, administration, monitoring and evaluation of the Capacity to Build programme.

This may include:

• administering funding and support programmes
• considering recommendations and making funding decisions
• managing relationships with participating councils and partner organisations
• coordinating activity across different elements of the programme
• monitoring delivery, participation and outcomes
• undertaking programme evaluation, research and analysis
• conducting assurance, audit and governance activities
• contacting participants regarding programme activities, surveys or evaluation exercises
• supporting the development of future housing and local government policy

Any assessment or scoring carried out for funding applications relates to local authority applications and programme criteria, not to the individual officers named in those applications. MHCLG does not use automated decision-making or profiling to make decisions about individuals for the purposes covered by this notice.

Where information about individuals has already been collected or shared since the programme commenced, MHCLG will take reasonable steps to provide updated privacy information directly where direct communication is reasonably possible. Publication on GOV.UK will supplement, rather than replace, direct transparency measures where direct contact is reasonably possible.

1.4 What lawful basis do we have to process your personal data? 

MHCLG processes personal data under:

• UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – 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
• Data Protection Act 2018, Part 2, Chapter 2, Section 8(d) – the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department

Homes England and the IDeA/LGA are responsible for identifying and explaining the lawful basis for processing they undertake as independent controllers. Their privacy information should be read alongside this notice where relevant.

1.5 Who is the information shared with? 

Personal data will only be shared where necessary for the delivery of the Capacity to Build Programme and in accordance with data protection legislation and agreed data-sharing arrangements.

Your information may be shared with:

Organisation	Controller / processor position	Reason your data is shared
MHCLG	Controller	Programme management, policy oversight, funding decisions, monitoring, evaluation, audit and governance
Homes England	Independent controller for its own Council Housebuilding Support Fund activity	Administration, assessment, moderation, recommendations and monitoring of the Council Housebuilding Support Fund
IDeA and authorised LGA personnel	IDeA is an independent controller; authorised LGA personnel may support delivery where permitted by the relevant arrangements	Delivery and coordination of the Council Housebuilding Support Service and expanded Pathways to Planning programme, together with associated programme support activities
Microsoft and approved government technology providers	Processor or supplier role according to the relevant departmental contract or platform terms	Hosting, operation and technical support of programme systems, including MHCLG’s Funding Service and other departmental systems.
Research, evaluation or assurance contractors appointed by MHCLG	Processor, independent controller or joint controller depending on the agreed arrangement for the specific activity	Evaluation, research, monitoring and assurance activities

Personal data relating to live Council Housebuilding Support Fund applications will not routinely be shared with the IDeA or authorised LGA personnel before funding decisions have been made and applicants have been notified. Detailed application assessments, scoring information and narrative feedback will not normally be shared unless there is a clear justification and appropriate safeguards.

Some elements of the programme are delivered by partner organisations who may publish their own privacy notices. Where relevant, those privacy notices will apply alongside this notice.

1.6 Where is your personal data stored and processed?  

Personal data is stored and processed in secure government systems and approved supplier platforms located in the United Kingdom.

Applications relating to the Council Housebuilding Support Fund may be submitted through MHCLG’s Funding Service platform and accessed by authorised MHCLG and Homes England personnel for programme administration purposes.

For the programme activities covered by this notice, MHCLG does not transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or permit supplier, technical support or administrative access from outside the United Kingdom.

1.7 How long do we keep your personal data?  

MHCLG will retain personal data only for as long as needed for programme delivery, monitoring, evaluation, audit, assurance, legal and records management purposes.

Application records, assessment material, monitoring information, evaluation material and audit records will be retained for as long as required to administer the programme, monitor outcomes, undertake evaluation and meet applicable grant-management, audit, legal and records-management requirements. Contact information and engagement records will be reviewed periodically and deleted or updated when they are no longer required for programme purposes. Personal data will be securely deleted or destroyed once the applicable retention requirements have expired.

1.8 Your rights

Under UK data protection legislation, you may have rights including:

• the right to access personal data
• the right to rectification of inaccurate data
• the right to request erasure of personal data in certain circumstances
• the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances
• the right to object to processing in certain circumstances
• the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

The rights available to you may depend on the lawful basis relied upon for the processing of your data and the specific circumstances of your request.

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact MHCLG using the details below.

2. Data Protection Officer

If you wish to exercise your rights or have questions about MHCLG’s use of your personal data, please contact MHCLG at dataprotection@communities.gov.uk or write to:

Data Protection Officer
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

3. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data has been handled, please contact MHCLG in the first instance.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

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

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website: ico.org.uk