- Who are we and what services do we provide?
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You will usually have to pay Council Tax if you’re 18 or over and own or rent a home. Runnymede Borough Council has a statutory duty to administer the collection of Council Tax in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and subsequent regulations. It is not a direct charge for the services we provide nor is it a direct charge for individual services received. The amount of Council Tax collected helps enable Runnymede Borough Council to provide services for the benefit of the community as a whole.
- What personal information do we collect?
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We collect and process the following information to calculate and issue Council Tax bills, collect payments, manage arrears and undertake enforcement action.
- Identity data [name, address, contact details]
- Financial information [bank details if you choose to pay via direct debit or to receive a refund, payment history, financial history if you have fallen into arrears]
- Information about your property [address, Council Tax band]
In addition to the information above we also collect and process the following information to process Council Tax discounts, exemptions and benefits.
- Special category data [mental and physical health data]
- Financial information [allowances and benefits, income and capital, credit reference checks]
- Personal circumstances [marital status, who you live with, your employment status and information about your employment]
The information above will also be used to prevent and detect fraud and protect council funds. This may include, but is not limited to, matching Council Tax data with electoral registration records and credit reference checks.
Your personal information, if not supplied by you, may be collected from a third party such as Estate Agent, Landlord, a previous occupier, the Valuation Office (VOA), Enforcement Agents and other Local Authorities.
- What lawful basis is engaged?
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Our lawful basis for the above purposes is as follows.
- Public task - we need to collect or use your information to carry out a task laid down in law, which the law intends to be performed by an organisation such as ours. Specifically, we are required by The Local Government Finance Act 1992 and subsequent legislation to levy and collect Council Tax from those who are liable. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure and the right to portability.
- Legal Obligation - we must collect or use the information so we can comply with the law and we have little to no discretion on how we do that. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
- Why do we process personal data?
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We have a legal obligation to process information for council tax purposes. Council tax billing, collection and enforcement processes are supported by legislation laid down by the Government. We are legally required to process this information and to impose penalties if information is not provided, incomplete or knowingly incorrect. We also collect and use your contact details to communicate with you about your account, including providing access to an e-billing service. This is not a legal requirement and is done with your consent.
- Who has access to your personal data?
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Our processors use your data to provide us with services necessary to meet our objectives. We ensure that there are appropriate agreements in place to protect your data and it is only processed under our instruction.
Ascendant Solutions
Owners of the Apply4 portal which is where applications will be submitted by customers. Ascendant Solutions have also configured the robotic process automation (RPA) which will automatically update the Council Tax system NEC RB which is provided by NEC Software Solutions
NEC Software
Council Tax case management system.
Rundles
Our enforcement agents providing debt recovery services.
- Who do we share data with?
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Where necessary for the purposes stated, your information will be shared with the following organisations.
- Public agencies, government departments and other organisations as required to support the collection and recovery of Council Tax, which include the Valuation Office Agency, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, Ombudsman and regulatory authorities
- Cabinet Office for the National Fraud Initiative
- HM Revenues and Customs
- Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) for requests for attachments of benefits
- Enforcement and tracing agents to recover unpaid Council Tax
- Other council departments for the purposes of delivering other council services – to ensure our records are accurate and up-to-date, to improve the standard of the services we deliver, and to perform any of our statutory duties, including enforcement duties.
- Law enforcement and prosecuting authorities for the prevention, detection and prosecution of crime
- Employers for requests for attachments to earnings and to recover unpaid Council Tax
- The Office of National Statistics for statistical purposes
We ensure that all sharing is lawful and appropriately documented. We will not share the information for a reason that is incompatible with the purpose your information was collected, unless there is a legal requirement to do so, an exemption applies, or we have been given consent.
- How do we protect personal data?
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Please see the ‘How we take care of your personal data’ section of our main Privacy Policy
- How long do we keep your personal data?
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We will keep all records relating to Council Tax for as long as you have an ongoing liability with us. Even if you have moved away and do not owe us any money, we will keep details of the property or properties and dates for which you were liable for Council Tax. This is in case there is a change to the Council Tax Band of the property. Council Tax re-banding can be backdated back to 1 April 1993 and the band can increase or decrease.
Forms submitted for Single Person Discount reviews will be retained for 6 years, after which only the record of receiving this discount will be kept.
- Your rights
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As a data subject, you have a number of rights, including access to your data. A request for access can be made via our website or by sending an email to foi@runnymede.gov.uk
Data Protection Subject Access Request(SAR) | Introduction – Runnymede Borough Council
To find out more about your rights please see the ‘Your Rights’ section of our main privacy statement
If you believe that Runnymede Borough Council has not complied with your data protection rights, you should initially try to resolve it with the relevant department.
If you are unable to resolve the issue to your satisfaction contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) who will investigate. If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the DPO’s review you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner. You can find out further information on making a complaint to the Information Commissioner.
You can find out further information on making a complaint to the Information Commissioner on their website Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)