This Privacy Notice is regularly reviewed and may be updated or revised at any time. It was last updated in November 2025. It is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes.
- Introduction
- What personal data do we collect?
- How we use personal data
- Legal Basis for processing
- Who do we share personal data with?
- How long do we keep personal data?
- Automated decisions
- Your rights
- Data Protection Officer.
Introduction
Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set out in the Wigan Council Primary Privacy Notice.
This notice provides additional privacy information for Economic Development.
What personal data do we collect?
To carry out activities and obligations as an Economic Development service we process the following personal data:
- Name
- Date of birth (for Apprentices)
- Address
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Employment status (relating to apprenticeship grants and our talent pool)
- Bank account details (relating to grant or loan applications)
- Images or stories about your business.
We also process the following Special Category Data:
- Health-related data when relevant to the Future Apprentices for Business (FAB) grant programme, apprenticeship grant scheme and Supported Apprenticeships project to establish eligibility and support needs.
We do not store personal data about individuals who visit site except where they provide contact information or use one of our online services.
How we use personal data
The main purposes for processing your personal data are:
- To provide relevant business-related information on our services and support available, for example through business bulletins and social media
- To invite businesses to take part in business related events and networking opportunities
- To investigate and respond to enquiries or complaints
- To provide business booster grants, Future Apprentices for Business (FAB) grants and similar funding
- To engage with you and support your business
- To ensure that eligibility is being met, such as the Supported Apprenticeships Project
- To ensure the correct apprenticeship funding/support is provided to the apprentice
- To ensure businesses are located within Wigan Borough and therefore eligible for programmes such as FAB.
Legal Basis for processing
The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is:
- It is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority
- Contract (for the provision of business or apprenticeship funding)
- Consent.
The condition we rely on for processing your special category data is:
- Explicit consent
- Employment, social security and social protection (if authorised by law)
- Reasons of substantial public interest – statutory etc and government purposes.
Who do we share personal data with?
In addition to the general reasons for data sharing described in the Council’s Primary Privacy Notice, we share and collect data with the following when required:
- Other teams within Wigan Council
- Other local authorities including Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)
- Government agencies
- Business Growth Hub
- GM Chamber
- MIDAS
- Inventya
- FAB (employers and training providers).
This is not an exhaustive list.
How long do we keep personal data?
We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any future legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
We must continue to retain necessary data in accordance with our corporate records policy to fulfil legal, statutory and regulatory requirements.
Automated decisions
All the decisions we make about you involve human intervention.
Your rights
More information on how to seek advice to exercise your rights, raise a concern or complain about the handling of your personal data by the council can be found in at Wigan Council Primary Privacy Notice.
Data Protection Officer
If you wish to raise a concern or seek clarification about any aspect of this notice, please contact our Data Protection Officer. Please provide documents to prove your identity along with a description of your concern.
We will respond to all requests within one month.
If you are unhappy with the way that we handle your concern you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) (external link).
Document information
Owner: Andrea Glasspell, Assistant Director Community Wealth and Health
Author: Matthew Stockwell, Employment and Skills Pathway Manager and Patricia Evans, Service Manager Economic Development
Version and date: V5.0 October 2025