Guidance

Privacy notice: Grenfell Tower Site

Published 13 June 2025

Applies to England

This privacy notice explains the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government’s (MHCLG) process for collecting, using, and storing information about you when you enquire about the Grenfell Tower Site.

1. What information do we collect about you?

We collect any relevant information from you, including personal information, when you enquire about the Grenfell Tower Site.

Personal information collected from you may include the following: your full name, your email address, your home address, your phone number; and any other details regarding your personal circumstances that are relevant to us being able to adequately address your enquiry.

In certain instances we may collect information about you that is classed as ‘special category’ information. For example, in our case this might include relevant information about your health. Where any ‘special category’ information is collected, there will be appropriate minimization of what is collected to only that which is relevant to us being able to adequately address your enquiry.

2. How will we use the information we collect about you?

We will use any information collected about you, including personal information, to help us to adequately address your enquiry.

We only ask for the information that we need to enable us to make all reasonable efforts to answer your questions, and provide you with information that is relevant to your enquiry.

We may also use your information to send you updates about the Grenfell Tower Site. You can request that we stop sending you these updates at any time by contacting the team’s email address as stated in section 8 of this privacy notice.

3. What is the lawful basis that allows us to collect, use, and store information about you?

You are entitled to be told the lawful basis that allows to collect, use, and store information about you. In our case the relevant lawful basis is Article 6(1)(e) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). This means that it is legitimate for us to collect, use, and store your information when ‘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’.

Our UK GDPR Article 6 (1) (e) lawful basis is further underpinned by Section 8 of the Data Protection Act 2018:

‘In Article 6(1) of the UK GDPR (lawfulness of processing), the reference in point (e) to processing of personal data that is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of the controller’s official authority includes processing of personal data that is necessary for—

(a) the administration of justice, (b) the exercise of a function of either House of Parliament, (c) the exercise of a function conferred on a person by an enactment or rule of law, Page 2 of 3 (d) the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department, or (e) an activity that supports or promotes democratic engagement.’

The law that allows us to collect and use your ‘special category’ information - e.g. relevant information about your health - is Article 9(2)(g) of the UK GDPR: ‘processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest’.

Our UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) lawful basis is further underpinned by Section 10 and Schedule 1 Part 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

The law that allows us to transfer your information outside the UK, and specifically to any country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or to Switzerland, is UK GDPR Article 45 ‘Transfers on the basis of an adequacy decision’.

The law that allows us to transfer your information outside the UK, and specifically to any country other than to countries in the EEA or to Switzerland, is UK GDPR Article 46 ‘Transfers subject to appropriate safeguards’.

4. Will we share the information collected about you with anyone?

It depends on what you have asked us to help you with. In order to help us adequately address your enquiry, we may need to share some or all of the information we have about you with other government departments, local authorities, or healthcare organizations as necessary.

Sharing of your information may extend to one or more commercial service providers as necessary and which have been approved for use by MHCLG’s Cyber Security Team.

We may also need to share information we have about you, where necessary, to meet our legal responsibilities.

If we have to share information that we have about you with anyone we will only give them what they need in order to assist you, provide a service you have requested, or to comply with our legal responsibilities. Where possible we will try to remove the details that might identify you personally, unless doing this would make it difficult for you to access the services you have requested.

5. How is the information collected about you stored?

Information collected about you is stored in a secure government IT system.

The exceptions to the above are:

• you give us your opinions regarding the future of the Grenfell Tower Site and any related matters via our community engagement events;
• in which case, your information may also be stored with one or more commercial service providers which have been approved for use by MHCLG’s Cyber Security Team.

Your information will not be used in any automated decision making.

6. How long will we keep the information collected about you?

We will keep information collected about you for as long as necessary to help us adequately address your enquiry; and to help us in resolving any disputes that may arise from you requesting our assistance.

It is anticipated that your information will be retained for no longer than 3 years, however it may occasionally need to be retained for longer as justifiable within the law.

7. What are your rights regarding any personal information of yours that we hold?

The personal information we are collecting is yours, and you have considerable say over what happens to it. You have the right:

• to see what personal information of yours we hold.
• to ask us to stop using your personal information.
• to ask us to delete or correct your personal information in specific circumstances.

8. Who should you contact if you have any questions or requests in regard to our processing of your personal information?

For any questions or requests in regard to our processing of your personal information, you should contact the team at GrenfellTowerSite@communities.gov.uk and they will make all reasonable efforts to provide a satisfactory response to your enquiry.

9. How do you make a complaint?

If you are unhappy with any aspect of this privacy notice, or with how your personal information has been processed, and wish to make a complaint, in the first instance please contact the team at GrenfellTowerSite@communities.gov.uk and all reasonable efforts will be made to provide a satisfactory response to your complaint, including consulting MHCLG’s Data Protection Officer as necessary.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint, and think we have not processed your personal information in accordance with the law, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection matters. You can contact the ICO via their website at Make a complaint about how an organisation has used your personal information or by phone on 0303 123 1113 (Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm).