How we use your information
The categories of information that we collect, process, hold and share include:
- personal information (such as name, address, contact information, gender, National Insurance number and bank account details)
- characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, and disability)
- medical information and details of disabilities
- income information (such as pensions, benefits and earned income including employer details and payslips)
- financial information (such as details of expenditure and one-off payments and receipts)
- identification (such as photographs, driving licences, passports, birth certificates)
- immigration status and other proof of eligibility
- other personal information that will vary on a case-by-case basis to enable us to undertake our assessments
Why we collect and use this information
We use your data to:
- enable us to carry out specific functions for which we are responsible
- enable us to assess your application for council tax reduction
- derive statistics which inform decisions such as processing times for new claims and changes of circumstances
- take any necessary enforcement action
- provide statistics to Kent County Council and government departments for example Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
- inform and plan resourcing activities
The lawful basis on which we use this information
We collect and use this information under in order to carry out our statutory functions under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Default Scheme) (England) Regulations 2012.
Collecting this information
The information you provide to us is on a voluntary basis however it is processed in order to calculate your entitlement to council tax reduction, which is a statutory function. In order to comply with the data protection legislation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice in this.
Storing this information
We hold your data for up to six years after your claim with us has ended. We may, however, if required hold your data for longer in order to support any debt recovery action.
Who we share this information with
We routinely share information with:
- our revenues and benefits contractor Northgate Public Services and agency staff contracted by us
- other departments within the Council such as council tax, housing, customer services, internal audit, fraud team, government departments such as DLUHC
- external auditors
- collection and enforcement agents
- credit reference agencies
- the Cabinet Office as part of the National Fraud Initiative
Why we share this information
We share data with the DLUHC on a statutory basis under Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Default Scheme) (England) Regulations 2012. This data sharing enables the DLUHC to determine whether the Council is claiming the correct grant.
We share data internally and with credit reference agencies in order to protect public funds and to prevent and detect any fraudulent activity.
We share data with the Cabinet Office as we are required to by law for the purpose of assisting the prevention and detection of fraud.
Data collection requirements
To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the DLUHC see Single data list (GOV.UK).
Requesting access to your personal data
Under data protection legislation, you have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information please contact Adrian Stanfield, the Council’s Data Protection Officer at foi@tmbc.gov.uk.
You also have the right to:
- object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
- prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
- object to decisions being taken by automated means
- in certain circumstances, have personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed
- claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the data protection regulations
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at How to make a data protection complaint to an organisation.
Further information
If you would like further information about this privacy notice, please contact Adrian Stanfield, the Council’s Data Protection Officer at foi@tmbc.gov.uk.
The Council collects and uses personal information for a number of purposes across all of its departments and functions. To find out more about how the Council uses the personal information it collects, please refer to the Corporate privacy notice.