Privacy notice Council Tax

Some of the information we ask you for is essential – we can’t work out your council tax bill without it. Other information is optional and it is usually used to assess discounts. If you choose not to tell us something, we may not make the right assessment and you may miss out on receiving a discount.  

When we are working out your bill, we’ll ask you for the following essential information:

• personal details including: your full name and address, the full name of everyone who lives with you, the legal interest you all have in the property and the date you moved in or out of the property
• preferred way of contact such as your telephone number or email address

Other information that is not essential but optional includes:

• your health information, for example any physical or mental health conditions you have. We may also ask for your doctor or consultant details
• financial information such as bank or building society details, including account balances and savings. Your income, any benefits you receive, your outgoings and any details of your debts if applicable
• employment details for example, if you are working, we may ask for your employers’ details, including who you work for, your pay and deductions
• religion 
• education details 

We collect your information for the following purposes:

• personal information, to identify you when you contact us
• health information, to see if you qualify for some discounts that are available if you have a physical or mental disability
• financial information, as we use your bank details for payment purposes. If you do not pay your bill, we may take legal action and we are required by law to have your financial information
• employment details, as if you do not pay your bill as we may take the money from your wages. We are allowed to do this under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992
• religion, to see if you qualify for some discounts that are available to religious groups
• education, to see if you qualify for some discounts that are available to students
• preferred way of contact, to ensure we can contact you quickly if we have any questions

We might share your information with the following organisations:

• HM Revenues and Customs as they are responsible for tax, payments and customs in the UK. Your information may be shared for statistical purposes

• the police, as they may require us to share your personal information for the prevention and detection of crime under:
  • The Crime and Disorder Act (1998)
  • The Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984)
  • The Prevention of Terrorism Act (1989)

• our environmental health team as they may request your personal details if there is a problem with your home. They are allowed to do this under the Housing Act 2004. We can also share your information for the prevention and detection of crime, we have a duty to do this under the Crime and Disorder Act (1998)

• debt collection agencies, who we employ to collect unpaid council tax. We have data sharing agreements with these agencies that strictly control how they store and use your personal information. We are allowed to do this under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992. We will only share your name and contact details with these agencies and your health and financial information is not shared with anyone

• credit reference agencies, to find people who owe council tax. We are allowed to do this under the Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992. We will only share your personal details with these agencies

• NHS Counter Fraud Authority for the prevention and detection of crime. We have a duty to do this under the Crime and Disorder Act 1992

• National Crime Agency for the prevention and detection of crime. We have a duty to do this under the Crime and Disorder Act 1992

• our electoral services team who use your name, address and date of birth to maintain a Register of Electors. We have a duty to do this under the Representation of the People (2001 Regulations)

• our parks and cemeteries team, as they may need your personal details to carry out their duties under The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984

We use the information you provide so we can meet our public duty under:

• The Local Government Finance Act 1992
• Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992

We will keep your information for 6 years (plus the current year) from the date your account is settled, which means either the balance is at zero or there are no outstanding queries or disputes.

You do have some legal rights in respect of the personal information we collect from you. Please see our Privacy policy page for further details.

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.

You can also contact our Data Protection Officer by email at data.protection@arun.gov.uk.