How we use your information
The categories of information that we collect, process, hold and share include:
- personal information (such as name, address, date of birth)
- characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, medical history)
- customer financial information (such as savings accounts, bank statements)
- family data (those who will be relevant to your application)
- vehicle information (car parking applications or permits)
- Proof of Life Certificate for foreign pension providers
The information customer services collect and processed is securely forwarded to internal service areas within the Council.
Why we collect and use this information
We use your data to:
- enable us to process your application for local authority financial support
- derive statistics which inform decisions such as housing banding and need
- provide statistics to government departments for example Department of Work and Pensions
- provide Kent County Council (KCC) Gateway footfall information, and share benchmarking data through KCC with local authorities in Kent
The lawful basis on which we use this information
We collect and use this information under Article 5 of the general data protection regulations.
Collecting this information
Whilst the majority of the information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. 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 the length of your live claim with us and then a further six years.
Who we share this information with
We routinely share information with:
- triaging enquiries and securely forwarding information to internal service areas within the Council.
- Endorse Proof of Life Certificate for foreign pension providers
Why we share this information
We share data with above departments on a statutory basis under data protection legislation. This data sharing enables government services to carry out their statutory functions in relation to government spend and prevention of fraud.
Public Register
Customer services do not maintain or publish any public registers.
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.