When you contact us about benefits, 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 assess and determine your application for housing benefit or council tax support or for an exemption or discount.
We also review certain accounts after an award of a discount or exemption has been made.
How we will process your data
The law allows us to process your ordinary personal data either 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 revenues teams. We may also share your information with other authorised officers of the council, 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 and the police. 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 only use data from DWP/HMRC for the purposes that it is given to us and only where we have a legal right or gateway to use for other purposes.
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 you may, 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 personal data to us is a statutory requirement. If you wish to make an application then you are obliged to provide all information that we reasonably require to progress and determine your claim. If you do not then we will be unable to progress the claim and it will be rejected.
Who is the data controller?
Lichfield District Council (District Council House, Frog Lane, Lichfield Staffs WS13 6YY, tel: 01543 308000) is the data controller.
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).