Council Tax Support Scheme
The London Borough of Hounslow is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. Through this Privacy Notice we have sought to be as transparent as possible and fully explain how your personal data is held and processed.
This privacy notice applies to the delivery of the project Working Age Council Tax Support scheme for 2025/26.
The Council will work with Policy in Practice to deliver this project. Policy in Practice (PIP) (ICO Registration Number: ZA006797).
This will enable the Council with the help of PIP to do extensive modelling of the household types, the household income, those with specific needs in order to design a scheme which benefits those most deserving.
If you have any questions about this privacy notice or any concerns about how we process your data, please contact the Client Team or email curevenues@hounslow.gov.uk.
The privacy notice will continue to be monitored and updated. You are advised to check this page from time to time.
How we handle your personal information
The proper handling of personal information is very important to the delivery of our services.
To make sure that we treat personal information correctly, we aim to meet in full the requirements of data protection law.
This privacy notice has therefore been produced to explain as clearly as possible how we process your personal data.
Why we collect your personal information
Hounslow Council’s Revenues Service collects personal data for the purpose of processing applications for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support (CTS).
In regard to this project, the Council want to review their CTS scheme for 2025/26.
As part of this, the Council want to consult on ideas for an improved CTS scheme for 2025/26. The Council will review the CTS offered with a view to ensuring that the scheme is aligned to upcoming changes that will move more households on to Universal Credit (UC), ensure that CTS is received by those who are on a low income and/or in receipt of benefits.
To achieve this, Hounslow wants to work with Policy in Practice (PIP) to do the modelling on the cohorts presently in receipt of CTS. This will involve PIP working on the data we have available on the existing claims.
We are already required to collect your information under the following legislation:
- Social Security Administration Act 1992
- Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
- Housing Benefit Regulations 2006
- Local Government Finance Act 1992
- Local Government Finance Act 2012
- The Fraud Act 2006
How we use your information
As previously mentioned, information held by Hounslow Council Revenues Service is used in the assessment of claims for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support.
For this project, we will use Data mostly held in the Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) file, and Council Tax Support scheme extract. The data contains a resident’s postcode, disability status, financial status, benefit entitlements.
The SHBE is a data file produced from the benefits system and its primary function is to provide the DWP with performance and statistical information of the benefits caseload.
The data will be matched after which all personally identifiable information will be removed to then proceed with our analysis.
What type of information we have
All data we hold on working age residents is contained in the Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) file, and in our Council Tax Support Scheme. The SHBE extract contains details of a resident’s and their partner if they have one.
We currently collect and process the following information:
- Title, name,
- address, postcode,
- email address
- Date of birth
- disability status
- caring status (i.e., if cares for another adult)
- number of any dependants and their disability status
- any benefit entitlements e.g., State Retirement Pension, Attendance Allowance etc
- Any other income e.g., earnings, private pension, annuity payments, rental income
- Bank account details.
- Medical details
- Property ownership
- Immigration status
For this project, the only personal data used for the purposes of matching and modelling is the HB / CTR reference numbers.
How do we get your information?
The data being processed is already being collected by our Revenue and Benefits Team to determine entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax reduction. This is done via the completion of an application form.
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
- you may give us your personal data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email.
- You may provide personal data when you sign up to enquire about council provided service
- We need your personal information to ensure you get the benefits to which you are entitled.
We also receive personal information indirectly from the DWP because they administer:
- State retirement pension
- Disability allowance
- Pension Credit
If it is not disproportionate or prejudicial, we will contact you to let you know we are processing your personal information.
The Council has agreed to work with Policy in Practice (PiP), its processor. Previous work by PiP shows that this matching effectively targets these households. The Council will monitor effectiveness of analysis and proactive intervention to establish value, both fiscal and social.
Our Lawful basis for processing your information
The lawful basis we rely on for processing this information is:
- public task for our official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
Legal gateways include but are not limited to:
Sharing DWP data for take-up purposes is covered by Section 7B of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, and the Social Security (Claims and Information) Regulations 2007 which contains a list of relevant benefits.
- Sections 131 (1) and (3) of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Social Security (Information-sharing for welfare services) Regulations 2012 (as amended)
- The Social Security (Information-sharing in relation to Welfare Services etc.) Regulations 2012, part 3 -Information-sharing in relation to welfare services etc
- regulations 5(1)(e) and 6(1)(e) which cover local authority duties to prevent homelessness'.
If the information you provide us contains special category data, such as health, religious or ethnic information the legal basis we rely on to process is
- We will rely on Article 6 of the UK GDPR and a separate condition for processing under Article 9.
- This applies whether we collect the personal data directly from the individual or collect their data from another source.
Article 9(2)(b) – where processing is necessary for the purposes of performing or exercising obligations or rights which are imposed or conferred by law or in connection with employment, social security, or social protection
Why we need your information (purposes of processing)
The personal data we collect will be used for the following purposes:
- To consult on ideas for an improved CTS scheme for 2025/26.
- To review the CTS offered by the Council with a view to ensuring that the scheme is aligned to upcoming changes that will move more households on to Universal Credit (UC).
- To ensure that CTS is received by those who are on a low income and/or in receipt of benefits.
- To determine whether you are on a low income and therefore need support with your council tax payments.
- Whether you should be receiving other state benefits due to your disability, age, or income.
Who your information may be shared with (internally and externally)
We share your information with:
- Policy and Practice- Policy in Practice acts as a data processor for the Council working directly with these datasets.
- Liberata officers who are our partners and who administer services on behalf of the Council under the Corporate Services Contract and in particular welfare benefits.
- Council Officers
- Auditors
- IT and software service providers
With you the residents we consult with.
We will strive to ensure that any personal data in our care will be kept safe and that where your information is disclosed to a third party working on our behalf, we will seek to ensure that they have sufficient systems and procedures in place to prevent the loss or damage of personal data.
How long we keep your information
For the purposes of this project, we will keep your application for six years.
We will then dispose your information in the most secure manner possible.
Transfers to third countries
All the information you provide us is held within the UK & European Economic Area
Data Matching and Auditing
We are required by law to protect the public funds we administer. We may use the information you provide to us for the prevention and detection of crime. We may also share this information with other bodies that are responsible for auditing or administering public funds including the Cabinet Office, the Department for Work and Pensions, other local authorities, HM Revenue and Customers and the Police.
The council uses data matching as a way of processing large volumes of information. While this can be a useful way of detecting fraud, it also enables us to identify information that is inaccurate or out of date, helping us comply with Data Protection law, while improving service provision.
In addition to undertaking our own data matching to identify errors and potential frauds, we are required to take part in national data matching exercises undertaken by the Cabinet Office.
Your data protection rights
The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information. For further information about your data protection rights and how to make a request, please see ‘Your rights’
Your right to make a complaint
The Council tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. For this reason, we take any complaints we receive about this very seriously. We encourage people to bring it to our attention if they think that our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading, or inappropriate.
If you want to make a complaint you can contact us on:
Complaints Team
London Borough of Hounslow
Hounslow House,
7 Bath Road,
TW3 3EB.
Data Protection Officer
The Council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted on via email: InformationGovernance@hounslow.gov.uk
Information Governance Team
London Borough of Hounslow
Hounslow House,
7 Bath Road,
TW3 3EB.
Information Commissioner’s Office
The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights.
If you would like to know more about your rights under the Data Protection law, and what you should expect, visit the Information Commissioner’s website: https://ico.org.uk/
If you have any concerns regarding any privacy practices or about exercising your Data Protection rights, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545 745
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
A full list of what information we control and process and for what purposes is set out in our notification with the Information Commissioner's Register of Data Controllers. Our registration number is Z5761176. You can view our registration on the Information Commissioner's website.
