Privacy Policy

Red House Farm Allotment Society is the data controller for personal information used to administer the Society.

The Society's Committee is responsible for ensuring that personal information is handled appropriately.

As RHFAS is managed by volunteers, authorised committee members and other authorised volunteers may need access to personal information where this is necessary for them to carry out duties on behalf of the Society.

Access should only be provided where it is reasonably required for those duties.

2. Information we collect

Depending on your relationship with the Society, we may collect and maintain information including:

• your name;
• postal address;
• email address;
• telephone number;
• membership type and membership status;
• membership start and end dates;
• allotment plot number and plot allocation;
• waiting-list information;
• rent, membership fees and other charges;
• invoices and payment records;
• information necessary to identify or reconcile payments;
• key or other site administration records;
• communications between you and the Society;
• information you provide through our website or membership system;
• emergency contact details;
• records relating to the administration of your membership or allotment; and
• technical and security information generated when you use our website or membership system, where required for security, troubleshooting and the proper operation of those systems.

We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for the administration and operation of the Society.

We may use your personal information to:

• administer your membership;
• manage allotment plots and plot allocations;
• manage associates and other membership types;
• maintain and administer our waiting list;
• calculate and collect rent, membership fees and other charges;
• create and maintain appropriate financial and payment records;
• identify and reconcile payments;
• contact you about your membership, plot or the Society;
• send important notices and information about the allotment site;
• administer keys and access arrangements;
• manage the Society and its records;
• respond to questions, requests or complaints;
• contact an emergency contact where appropriate;
• maintain the security and proper operation of our website and membership systems;
• meet our obligations to our landlord, local authority or other bodies where applicable; and
• comply with legal, regulatory, accounting and financial record-keeping requirements.

We do not sell members' personal information.

4. Our lawful basis for using your information

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for using personal information.

Depending on what we are doing, RHFAS may rely upon:

Contract – where using the information is necessary to administer your membership, allotment tenancy or another agreement between you and the Society.

Legitimate interests – where using information is reasonably necessary for the effective administration, management, security and operation of the Society and its allotment site, provided that those interests do not override your rights and interests.

This may include maintaining membership and plot records, communicating with members, administering the Society and maintaining appropriate records.

Legal obligation – where we need to retain or use information to comply with a legal requirement, including applicable financial, accounting or regulatory requirements.

Consent – where we specifically ask for your consent for a particular use of your information. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent.

Different lawful bases may apply to different uses of your information.

5. Membership information

We need certain information to properly administer membership and allotment plots.

This normally includes sufficient information to identify you, contact you, administer your membership and plot, and maintain appropriate financial records.

If required information is not provided or kept reasonably up to date, we may be unable to properly administer your membership, contact you about important Society matters or provide some membership services.

Members are responsible for informing the Society when relevant contact information changes.

6. Our website and membership system

RHFAS uses an online website and membership administration system to help our volunteers manage the Society.

The Society's main website and membership system are hosted in the United Kingdom.

The system may be used to maintain membership records, plot information, payments, invoices, communications and other information required for the administration of the Society.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect the personal information held within our systems and restrict administrative access to authorised persons.

7. Payments

We may use specialist payment service providers to process payments.

Where you make an electronic or card payment, information necessary to process that payment may be provided directly to the payment provider.

RHFAS does not need to store your full payment card details within its membership system.

We may retain information about the payment itself, such as:

• the amount paid;
• the date of payment;
• what the payment relates to;
• payment status; and
• a payment or transaction reference.

This allows us to maintain accurate rent, membership and accounting records.

8. Email and communications

We use email and other appropriate methods to communicate with members and applicants.

We may use specialist service providers to deliver emails generated by our membership system.

These communications may include:

• membership administration;
• rent and payment information;
• plot-related correspondence;
• Society notices;
• meeting information;
• safety or emergency information; and
• other information reasonably connected with the operation of the Society.

Important administrative communications about your membership or allotment are not treated as optional marketing simply because they are sent by email.

9. Emergency contacts

If you provide details of another person as an emergency contact, we will normally use those details only where reasonably necessary in connection with an emergency or serious welfare or safety concern.

You should, where practical, let that person know that you have provided their details to us for this purpose.

RHFAS is managed by volunteers.

Personal information may therefore be accessed by authorised committee members or other authorised volunteers where access is necessary for them to perform a Society function.

We do not give every volunteer or member unrestricted access to membership information.

We expect anyone given access to personal information to respect its confidentiality and use it only for legitimate Society purposes.

11. Sharing information with other organisations

We do not sell your personal information and do not provide membership information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.

We may share information where reasonably necessary with:

• our landlord or local authority where required in connection with the management or lease of the allotment site;
• the National Allotment Society (NAS), but only if you have opted in to NAS membership through our website. If you have, we include your name, email address and postal address in the Society's annual NAS membership submission. If you have not opted in, we do not share your details with the NAS, and you can opt out at any time;
• payment service providers;
• email delivery providers;
• website, hosting, IT or technical service providers;
• professional advisers where necessary;
• regulatory or public authorities where we are legally required to do so; and
• law enforcement or emergency services where disclosure is lawful and appropriate.

Organisations that process personal information on our behalf are expected to handle that information appropriately and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

12. Information processed outside the UK

Our main website and membership system are hosted in the United Kingdom.

However, some specialist organisations that provide services to us, such as payment or communications providers, may process information using systems or service providers located outside the UK.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will use service providers and arrangements that provide appropriate protection for personal information in accordance with UK data protection requirements.

We do not intend to keep personal information for longer than we reasonably need it.

How long information is retained depends on what it is and why we hold it.

Membership and plot information will normally be retained while you are a member and for an appropriate period afterwards where it is required for Society administration, dispute resolution, historical records or legal purposes.

Financial records, including appropriate records of rent and membership payments, may be retained for up to six years or for another period where required by applicable financial or legal obligations.

Waiting-list information will normally be retained while you remain on the waiting list and for an appropriate period afterwards where necessary for administration and record keeping.

Information that is no longer reasonably required should be securely deleted, anonymised or otherwise disposed of as appropriate.

14. Keeping your information secure

We take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the personal information entrusted to us.

These include, where appropriate:

• restricting access to authorised people;
• using password-protected accounts and systems;
• applying appropriate access permissions;
• maintaining the security of our website and membership systems;
• using reputable service providers; and
• taking reasonable measures to prevent unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure.

RHFAS is managed by volunteers, but this does not reduce our responsibility to handle personal information appropriately.

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we use your information, UK data protection law may give you rights including:

• the right of access to personal information we hold about you;
• the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• the right to erasure in certain circumstances;
• the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances;
• the right to object to certain uses of your information;
• the right to data portability where applicable; and
• the right to withdraw consent where we rely upon your consent.

These rights are not absolute and some rights only apply in particular circumstances.

For example, we may need to retain certain financial records even if you ask us to delete your information.

If you wish to exercise a data protection right, please contact the Society.

16. Your right to object

Where we rely upon legitimate interests to process your personal information, you have the right to object to that processing in certain circumstances.

If you object, please contact us and explain your concerns. We will consider your request in accordance with applicable data protection law.

If you have a question, concern or complaint about how RHFAS uses your personal information, please contact us in the first instance.

Data Controller: Red House Farm Allotment Society

Responsible body: Red House Farm Allotment Society Committee

Contact: Please use the contact details or contact form provided on the Society's website or the contact details provided in your membership correspondence.

We will try to resolve any concerns appropriately.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

Information about making a complaint is available from the ICO.

We may update this Privacy Policy when our systems, legal obligations or the way we administer the Society change.

Where there is a significant change affecting how we use members' personal information, we will take reasonable steps to bring it to members' attention through our normal communication channels.