- Privacy notice name
- Benefit Applications and Change in Circumstances Privacy Notice
- Last updated
- Wednesday, 27 June 2017
- Introduction
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Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are national welfare benefits which help people on low incomes. We are committed to working with customers, social landlords, the voluntary sector and other interested parties in the borough to maximise entitlement to all available state benefits. We administer applications and changes in circumstance for Housing Benefit, Local Council Tax Support, and Discretionary Housing Payments
- What personal information we collect
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We collect personal information to make sure that we can carry out our work. The personal information we collect includes:
- Names.
- Age and date of birth.
- Address.
- Gender.
- Telephone number.
- National Insurance number.
- Bank details.
- Passport number.
- Medical records.
- Health.
- Disability.
- Who we collect personal information about
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When we collect personal information it may be about:
- Homeowners.
- Individuals.
- Families.
- Applicants.
- Complainants.
- Claimants.
- How we use personal information
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We use your personal information to:
- Maintain accounts and records.
- Administer the collection or payment of taxes, benefits and other revenues.
- Undertake licensing and regulatory activity.
- Process applications, requests and appeals.
- Undertake investigations and audits.
- Why we use your personal information
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We're required by law to administer applications and changes in circumstance for housing benefit, local Council Tax support and discretionary housing payments. This is detailed in legislation and guidance including:
- Local Government Finance Act 1992
- Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
- Social Security Information Sharing Regulations
- Welfare Reform Act 2012
We're allowed to process personal and sensitive data for the following reasons under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Articles and the Data Protection Act:
- To comply with a legal obligation.
- For public tasks or statutory functions.
- For employment, social security or social protection law.
- Where there is substantial public interest.
- Who we share your personal information with
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We collect information from and disclose information to individuals and organisations that can support our work including:
- Affected parties.
- Council departments.
- Courts and tribunals.
- Elected members.
- Law enforcement and prosecuting agencies.
- Healthcare organisations.
- Ombudsman and regulatory bodies.
- Other public bodies and authorities.
- Partner agencies.
- Service providers.
- Automated decision about your personal information
- Some of the data provided by the DWP through their automated transfer to local authority systems (ATLAS) is imported electronically into our core system. Claims are then re-assessed without human involvement. Notification letters to customers and landlords following these re-assessments are also generated automatically.
- How long we keep your personal information
- We keep personal information collected as part of this process for a minimum of 6 years from the date of collection, or for an additional length of time if necessary.
- Transferring personal information beyond the EEA
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This service doesn't transfer your information outside the European Economic Area (EEA).
We do not routinely share data with any organisation outside the UK, but our website is available across the internet and we communicate with applicants and stakeholders wherever they are.
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