Business Rates Privacy Notice
This Privacy Notice sets out what you need to know about how the City of Doncaster Council (the Council) will use your information for Non-Domestic Rates (Business Rates) in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The Council is committed to meeting its data protection obligations and handling your information securely. You should make sure you read and understand this notice before submitting your information to us.
What information about you do we collect?
For the processing to which this notice relates to be carried out we use the following information:
- personal information – such as your name, address, telephone number, email address
- company information – such as name, head office address, directors.
How do we collect information about you?
We collect your information from you directly or third parties in the following ways:
- By asking you or others to complete an online form;
- when you or others telephone our Business Rates department or Customer Services Contact Centre;
- from incoming correspondence such as emails/letters/forms/applications for reliefs or reviews from you, or others, including landlords, letting agents and other organisations;
- from council property inspectors and other departments such as planning;
- through requests for information from other local authorities and public bodies;
- searches of the internet and social media services;
- searches of the land registry records;
- searches of financial organisations records.
How will your information be used?
Your information might be used to:
- Bill, collect and administer Business Rates
- Identify and allocate Business Rates payments and refunds
- To award Business Grants
- Recover unpaid Business Rates
- To assess and apply relevant reliefs
- To assess and apply relevant exemptions
The legal basis for using your information
The table below sets out the legal basis for each of the activities that this Privacy Notice covers:
To allow the Council to comply with a legal obligation under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of UK law under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
| Personal Data Activity | Legal Basis - GDPR Article 6 | S8 Data Protection Act | UK Legislation |
| (1)(c) to do so is necessary because of a legal obligation that applies to the Council | Local Government Finance Act 1988. | |
| (1)(e) to do so is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest, or in the exercise of billing and collection of Business Rates under the Local Government Finance Act 1988. | (a) the administration of justice, (b) the exercise of a function of either House of Parliament, (c) the exercise of a function conferred on a person by an enactment or rule of law, (d) the exercise of a function of the Crown, a Minister of the Crown or a government department, or (e) an activity that supports or promotes democratic engagement. | Local Government Finance Act 1988. |
| Special Category Data Activity | Legal Basis - GDPR Article 9 | DPA 2018 condition | Other considerations |
| (2)(a) the data subject has given explicit consent to the processing | ||
| (2)(f) processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity. | ||
| (2)(g) processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest. | Part 2 of schedule 1 |
To allow the Council to comply with a legal obligation under the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and it is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of UK law under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
Information required by law
The law means that you have to give us the information we have asked for. If you don’t give us this information then we will be unable to process your Business Rates account and payments.
Who will your information be shared with?
We sometimes need to share your information within the Council or with other organisations. We will only share your information when necessary and when the law allows us to, and we will only share the minimum information we need to. For Business Rates matters we may need to share your information with:
The Council will never sell your information to anyone else.
- Your Councillor (for example, if you have made a complaint to them about the Council).
- Our Environmental Enforcement Team to allow them to carry out their enforcement functions, such as to serve an enforcement notice on the owner of a property.
- Enforcement Agents and legal service providers, who are under contract with the Council, for the purpose of tracing a ratepayer or recovering unpaid Business Rates.
- Business Doncaster.
- Other Local Authorities.
- Accounts Receivable to help resolve payment or debt enquiries.
- Cabinet Office for the National Fraud Initiative (NFI). You can find more information about the NFI at: http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/the-council-democracy/the-national-fraud-initiative-and-data-matching
- Policing Authorities for the prevention and detection of a crime.
- The Valuation Office Agency, for the purpose of identifying and valuing properties to be entered into the National Non-Domestic Rating List.
- Third parties contracted by the Council to carry out specific functions relating to Business Rates.
- The Valuation Tribunal Service, for the purpose of determining appeals.
- Building Control, for the purpose of registering a property.
The Council will never sell your information to anyone else.
How long will we keep your information?
We will keep your information for different periods of time, depending on what we are using it for. We only keep your information for as long as we need to, after which we will either securely delete the information.
Your Rights
The law gives you specific rights over your information. These rights are:
- to be informed of our use of information about you;
- of access to information about you;
- rectify information about you that is inaccurate;
- to have your information erased (the ‘right to be forgotten’);
- to restrict how we use information about you;
- to move your information to a new service provider;
- to object to how we use information about you;
- not to have decisions made about you on the basis of automated decision making;
- to object to direct marketing; and,
- to complain about anything the Council does with your information (please see the ‘Complaints’ section below).
Changes to this privacy notice
This notice is kept under regular review to make sure it is up to date and accurate.
Data Protection Officer (DPO)
The Council is required by law to have a DPO. The DPO has a number of duties, including:
- monitoring the Council’s compliance with data protection law;
- providing expert advice and guidance on data protection;
- acting as the point of contact for data subjects; and,
- co-operating and consulting with the Information Commissioner’s Office (see ‘Complaints’ below).
Complaints
If you are unhappy with the way in which your information has been handled you should contact the Council’s Data Protection Officer so that we can try and put things right. Alternatively, and if we have been unable to resolve your complaint, you can also refer the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights, and they can investigate and adjudicate on any data protection related concerns you raise with them. They can be contacted via the methods below:
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
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Last updated: 28 May 2024 15:39:41