When you contact us about council tax, we will ask you to provide us with personal data, such as your name, address and other information.
We will process this data to enable us to:
- ascertain liability
- administer and collect council tax.
- determine any application for an exemption or a discount.
- carry out statutory requirements.
We also review certain accounts after an award of a discount or exemption has been made.
We are allowed to use your data by legal obligation or public task under various UK laws including but not limited to:
- Data Protection Act 2018
- The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
- The Local Government Finance Act 1992
How we will process your data
The law allows us to process your ordinary personal data either because it is necessary to do so to perform a task carried out in the public interest, or in the exercise of official authority vested in us. Where we process any special data such as information about mental or physical health, we do so as it is necessary for us to perform our obligations under social security or social protection law. We may also process this type of data where we need to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
Will we share your data?
We will share your information with our customer services, digital and benefits teams. We may also share your information with other authorised officers of the council, or our trading company (LWTMS), other councils or the national fraud initiative. Depending on your circumstances, we may also share your information with HM Courts & Tribunals Service, HM Revenue & Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Valuation Office Agency, Gov.UK Notify (to support issuing SMS text messages), enforcement agents, tracing agents, your employer, the Police and Lichfield Bid Limited. In the case of empty properties details may be shared with Lichfield West Midlands Traded Services. Your information is also shared confidentially with third parties who provide systems and services on our behalf, including our revenues and benefits system supplier and our printing house who issue bills and reminders on our behalf. We also share details of your property with our joint waste service, in order that they can supply bins/waste services to your property.
How long will we store your data?
We will store your information for as long as we justifiably need it. Information will typically be held in case there is a future query regarding your entitlement to benefit, an exemption or discount or an amendment of the band or rateable value of your property.
Your rights in brief
If we process your personal data, depending on your circumstances, you may have the following rights:
- a right of access to your information
- a right to correct inaccurate information
- a right to restrict our processing of your data
- a right to have your personal data erased
- the right to object to any processing by us on public interest grounds.
If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact our customer services team on 01543 308000.
General
The provision of information by you to us is a legal requirement. If you do not provide the information to us we may not be able to register, progress and/or determine your application for a discount or exemption.
Who is the data controller?
Lichfield District Council (District Council House, Frog Lane, Lichfield Staffs WS13 6YY, tel: 01543 308000) is the data controller.
Personal data breaches
The council does all it can to keep your personal data confidential, available for use and intact.
A personal data breach is a breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data that is transmitted, stored, or otherwise processed.
If there should be a breach of your personal data such as its destruction, loss, alteration, etc, you can report it to us at dpo@lichfieldd.gov.uk and the Compliance and Data Protection Officer will conduct an investigation. In some circumstances, such as there being a risk of harm to you, we will report matters to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
We will tell them what has happened, how many people are affected, what the likely consequences are and what we are doing to make things better. In certain circumstances, we will also provide this information to you.
In the event that there is an:
- Actual or suspected security incident involving DWP, HMRC and or/Home Office data.
- Suspected misuse of DWP, HMRC and or Home Office data (clerical and electronic).
- Actual or suspected security incident involving LA or CSP IT Networks that could put DWP, HMRC and/or Home Office data at risk.
Lichfield District Council will immediately notify the Local Authority Security and Support Team (LASST).
Any questions or concerns?
If you any questions, please email our data protection officer in the first instance, or if you have concerns about the way we have processed your personal data, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).