Privacy notice – Revenues and Benefits Service
Who are we?
Shropshire Council is the local government authority for Shropshire. Our address is: Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY2 6ND. You can contact our data protection officer on: 01743 252774 or by email at: information.request@shropshire.gov.uk
How do we collect information from you?
We collect information from you when you visit this website and when you contact us in writing, speak to us on the phone, by email or any other type of electronic communication, or talk to us face to face.
What types of information do we collect from you?
We collect different categories of information about you, depending on the service you want from us and/or the reason why we need to process information relating to you. This could be personal information (for example your name and address), or other more sensitive data that we would only collect and use in very particular circumstances that are set out in law.
Details of information obtained from third parties
- Information from landlords
- Information from DWP
- Information from Valuation Office Agency
- Our enforcement agents
- Information from Valuation Tribunal Service
How is your information used?
We may use your information to fulfil our legal obligations to process data under the following primary legislation, and associated regulations:
- Local Government Finance Act 1988
- Local Government Finance Act 1992
- Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
- Social Security Administration Act 1992
Information may be used:
- To assess your entitlement to housing benefit
- To assess your entitlement for council tax support
- To assess your request to discretionary housing payment
- To establish your council tax liability
- To establish your liability for business rates
- To assess your entitlement to council tax discounts or exemptions
- To assess your entitlement to business rates reliefs or exemptions
- Recovery of council tax, business rates or housing benefit overpayment
- To process payments
- To notify you of any changes to council tax, business rates or housing benefit that may affect you
Research and statistics
Anonymised and pseudonymised data may be used for research and statistical purposes. Any data collected may be used for research and statistical purposes that are relevant and compatible with the purpose that the data was collected for.
Who has access to your information?
We may share your information with the following third parties for the reasons detailed:
- National Fraud Initiative to assist in the detection and prevention of fraud
- Valuation Office Agency for collection local taxation
- Department of Work and Pensions for administration of benefits and detection and prevention of fraud
- Office of National Statistics for statistical purpose
- Enforcement agents for the collection of debt
- Any other disclosure required by law including any other bodies responsible for detecting or preventing fraud or auditing or administering public funds
- The magistrates court and other courts
- The Valuation Tribunal Service for appeals
We won't sell or rent your information to third parties. We won't share your information with third parties for marketing purposes.
What are your rights in relation to the personal data we process?
Access – you can request copies of any of your personal information that is held by us.
Rectification – you can ask us to correct any incorrect information.
Deletion – you can ask us to delete your personal information. We can refuse to delete information if we have a lawful reason to keep this.
Portability – you can ask us to transfer your personal data to different services or to you in some circumstances.
Right to object or restrict processing – you have the right to object to how your data is being used and how it is going to be used in the future.
Right to prevent automatic decisions – you have the right to challenge a decision that affects you that has been made automatically without human intervention, for example an online form with an instant decision.
How long will we keep your information for?
We keep and dispose of all records in line with our corporate retention schedule. We'll comply with data protection legislation in regards to how long we keep your data.
What security precautions are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information?
We're strongly committed to data security and will take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or corruption. We've put in place physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard the information you provide to us. However, we can't guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us. We recommend that you take every precaution to protect your personal information.
Keeping your data up to date
Under 13?
Cookies and IP addresses
Complaints
If you'd like to make a complaint regarding the use of your personal data you can contact our data protection officer:
By post: Information Governance, Shropshire Council, Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury SY2 6ND
By phone: 01743 252774
By email: information.request@shropshire.gov.uk
For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
By Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House. Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
By phone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 if you prefer to use a national rate number.
Alternatively, visit ico.org.uk or email casework@ico.org.uk