Introduction
This Privacy Notice sets out how your personal data is collected, what it is used for and why. Please read this Privacy Notice so you are aware of how we are using your data. We will notify you if this Privacy Notice changes in respect of your data.
Greater Manchester Community Renewables Ltd is the ‘Data Controller’ and responsible for your personal data.
Who we are
Greater Manchester Community Renewables Ltd, known as GMCR, is a community benefit society which owns and operates solar installations in Greater Manchester. Our objectives are to reduce carbon emissions and promote energy efficiency and environmental education.
Contact details
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, please email us at info@gmcr.org.uk or write to us at Greater Manchester Community Renewables Ltd, Green Fish Resource Centre, 46-50 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LE.
What will we do with your information
We collect information from the following people for the following purposes:
- Our members: To administer your application and membership of the Society, and communicate with you about GMCR. This is a contractual requirement.
- Our directors: To administer the directorship, and to comply with legal requirements
- Our volunteers: To co-ordinate and facilitate volunteering activity
- Our supporters: To send you communications we feel will be of interest to you, for example, news about GMCR and renewable energy, and details of opportunities to volunteer with, promote, or invest in GMCR.
- Suppliers, sites, landlords: To obtain quotes, negotiate terms and perform contracts
Lawful basis
The lawful basis we use for processing your data is as follows:
- Our members, suppliers, sites, landlords: Performance of a contract.
- Our directors: Legal obligation.
- Everyone else: Legitimate interest. It is in GMCR’s legitimate interests to keep supporters and volunteers informed about our project. It is necessary to process your data to do that. The processing is balanced with your rights because you have given us your details for this purpose.
How long we will keep your data
The retention period for your data is as follows:
- Our members: For 6 years after you cease to be a member, except for the details required for the Register of Members, which must be kept for the life of the Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
- Our directors: For 6 years after you have stepped down from the Board
- Our volunteers: For 3 years after you have stopped volunteering with us
- Our supporters and Greater Manchester Community Energy Pledge signatories: Until you unsubscribe.
- Suppliers, sites, landlords: For 6 years after the contract and/or contract discussions ended
Who your data will be shared with
We may share your data with third parties, including contractors and professional advisers, who are helping us to fulfil the above purposes. For example, as we have no paid staff in the organisation, we have outsourced the management of the share register to Sharenergy Co-operative Ltd and you can find their privacy policy here.
We also use the following online tools:
How we ensure your data remains secure
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal data to those volunteers, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
Please help us keep up to date
It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes.
Your right to access your data
Under data protection law, you have the following rights:
- To request access to the information we hold about you
- To request correction of your personal data
- In certain circumstances, to request the deletion of your personal data;
- To object to processing of your personal data
- To request restrictions on processing your personal data
- To request transfer of your personal data
- Where processing is based on consent, to withdraw your consent.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, please contact us in the first instance.
Information about accessing your personal data
You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.
Third party links
This website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you. We do not control these third-party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.
This Privacy Notice was last updated on 12 September 2022.