Revenues and Benefits Privacy Notice

The following Privacy Notice applies to Revenues & Benefits

This Notice explains how personal information is going to be used, what it is used for, who it might be shared with and why and for how long it is to be kept.

Horsham District Council (HDC) is fully committed to complying with The Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).  We ensure that your personal data is processed fairly, lawfully kept safe and secure and retained for no longer than is necessary.

Data Controller

HDC is registered as a Data Controller with the Information Commissioner's Office (registration number: Z7294458). As a Data Controller we take all necessary steps to comply with the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and the UK GDPR when handling any personal information.

What information does the council collect?

We collect and process a range of information about you, including:

• Contact details - name, address, email address, telephone number
• Date of birth, gender, National Insurance number, marital status, marriage certificate, birth certificate, passport),
• The date of birth & National Insurance number of your partner, children and non-dependents.
• Rent information
• Employment details
• Financial details- income, savings, capital and expenditure, benefit entitlement status, utility bills, bank account details.
• Immigration status
• Medical history- health conditions/ sick absence
• Application forms, correspondence and complaint letters/ emails
• Fines, enforcement notices, legal action
• Third party details- next of kin, family records

Why does the council process personal data?

• Deliver the following services and support to you:
  • Housing Benefit
  • Council Tax Reduction
  • Council Tax
  • Business Rates
  • Discretionary Housing Payments
• Manage those services we provide to you
• Train and manage the employment of our workers who deliver those services
• Help investigate any worries or complaints you have about your services
• Keep track of spending on services
• Check the quality of services
• Managing your account charges and payments
• Prevent and detect fraud in the use of public funds
• Ensuring contractual obligations are complied with
• Complying with relevant legislation and regulation
• Ensuring your contractual obligations are complied with.
• To undertake the Council’s statutory duty to provide Revenues & Benefit services
• Assist in resolving the issues you are reporting to us.
• Data for mail merges
• Data from surveys

Who has access to data?

• Internal departments- (HR, IT etc)
• Other local authorities/ County Council
• Third party organisations
• Partner agencies
• Central Government (e:g DWP, HMRC)
• Housing Associations
• Court Services
• Police (duty to cooperate organisations)

We do not sell your personal information to anyone else, nor do we share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Details of transfers to third country and safeguards

If your personal data needs to be transferred outside of the EEA we will make sure that an adequate level of protection is in place.

How does the council protect data?

HDC takes the security of your data seriously. We have internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

The personal information that we collect from you must be handled and dealt with properly, covering how it is collected, recorded and used whether it is on paper, in computer records or recorded by other means and how long it is kept.

For how long does the council keep data?

We will only keep your information for as long as it is required to be retained. The retention period is either dictated by law or by our discretion. Once your information is no longer needed it will be securely and confidentially destroyed

For processing, we will hold your personal data for 6 years (including the financial year of creation) from the date your claim or account was closed with us.

What is the Legal Basis to allow us to use your personal information?

There are a number of legal reasons why we need to collect and use your personal information, including:

• To perform a function or provide a Service
• To comply with a legal obligation
• Where disclosure is in the vital interests of yourself or another person
• With your explicit consent

If we have consent to use your personal information, you have the right to remove it at any time. If you want to remove your consent, please email the Data Protection Officer and tell us which service you are using so we can deal with your request.

What if you do not provide personal data?

We will only ask for personal information that is appropriate to enable us to deliver our services. If you do not provide the information we need then we may not be able to provide service.

Your rights

You have the right to:

1. Be informed of data processing (which is covered by this Privacy Notice).
2. Access information (by making a Subject Access Request).
3. Have inaccuracies corrected.
4. Have information erased.
5. Restrict processing.
6. Data portability.
7. Intervention in respect of automated decision making and profiling.
8. Withdraw consent (see above).
9. Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (See below)

To exercise any of these rights please contact:

Information Governance Team
Parkside
Chart Way
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 1RL

Email: dpa@horsham.gov.uk

As a public authority we are required to have a Data Protection Officer who is responsible for monitoring HDC’s compliance with the DPA 2018, UK GDPR and other data protection laws.  If you need to contact the Data Protection Officer, contact details are:

Data Protection Officer
Parkside
Chart Way
Horsham
West Sussex
RH12 1RL

Email: dpa@horsham.gov.uk

Last review date 13 October 2022