Rochford District Council is the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018.
The Data Protection Officer for the Council can be contacted on DPO@Rochford.gov.uk
Why do we need your information? (The purpose and lawful basis for processing data)
The billing, collection and enforcement of local taxation and other miscellaneous debts as well as the assessment and payment of Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support is the statutory responsibility of the District Council
In order to enable RDC to carry out its duty/obligations it is necessary for us to collect personal information from you to include your name, address, contact details and other personal information to support any application for a reduction in Council Tax / Non-Domestic Rates or assessment of Housing Benefit / Council Tax Support.
- Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
- Local Government Finance Act 1992
- Local Government Finance Act 1988
- Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
- Discretionary Financial Assistance Regulations 2001
- Required for Service delivery
What information we are collecting?
Depending the service that you are receiving from this department, the following information required may include:
- Name
- Address
- DOB
- Gender
- Rent Information
- Employment details
- Other related benefits
- Health information
- National Insurance number
- Income and capital details
- Telephone numbers
- Email addresses
- Bank account details
- Landlord/owners details
How is it being collected?
- Electronic and paper application forms
- Notes of telephone conversations
- Records of interviews
- Letters
- Emails
- Face to face interviews or home visits.
- Provided by Third Parties eg DWP
How will it be used?
In the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support.
In the billing, administration, and recovery of Council Tax and Business Rates.
Who will the information be shared with?
Personal information originates mainly from the customer but can be provided by other sources on an individual basis e.g. Letting Agents, Solicitors, Landlords, internal departments within the Council, or other third parties particularly when a property is occupied/vacated.
Information is also provided by other bodies to assist with the processing of applications for Housing Benefit/Local Council Tax Support or reduction in Council
Tax/Non-Domestic Rates as well as the prevention of fraud as below:
- Department of Work and Pensions
- Valuation Office Agency
- HM Revenue and Customs
- Jobcentre Plus
- Pension Service
- Credit Reference Agencies
- Other local authorities/County Council
- Registered Social Landlords
Retention Period of the data
Indefinitely for the purposes of administrating our records.
The GDPR/Data Protection Act 2018 allows you to find out what information is held about you on paper and electronic records. In order to do this, you can submit a subject access request to the Council’s Data Protection Officer. This service is free of charge.
In come circumstance where the information provided made be restricted, for example, where it contains confidential information about another person, where it will cause serious harm to your or someone else’s physical or mental well-being or if the information we give you may stop us from preventing or detecting crime.
In addition, you have the following rights:
- Ask for information to be changed if it is factually inaccurate
- Ask for information to be deleted in certain circumstances such as the purpose for which the information was provided in the first place is no longer relevant, where you withdraw you consent (unless there is no other legal reason for us to use it), we are legally required to deleted information.
- Ask for the information to be transferred back to yourself or another service provider. This only applies if we are using your information with consent and not if we are required by law to do so or if a decision was made by a computer and not a human being.