Council Tax, Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit privacy notice
Our commitment to your privacy
As part of our commitment to protecting your information, we have updated our Privacy Notice to explain how we collect, store and handle your personal data.
Through our revised privacy notice, we have addressed standards introduced by General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018.
Data Controllers
Revenues and Benefits is a partnership of the City of Lincoln Council and North Kesteven District Council. The Partners are what is known as 'Joint Controllers' of the information you provide and are each registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The City of Lincoln Council is registered with the ICO as a ‘data controller’ under Z6277436. North Kesteven District Council is registered with the ICO as a ‘data controller’ under Z5680267.
What information do we collect
In order to provide this service, the following information may be collected and processed, we will only ask for personal information for you or members of your household where it is appropriate to deliver our services;
- Name
- Current address
- Postal address
- Email address
- Phone/mobile number
- Date of birth
- National Insurance Number
- Visual images – passport, driving licence etc
- Details of anyone else that you live with
- Vulnerability evidence
- Payment details including bank details
- Tenancy/licenses agreements
- Financial information
- Benefits and allowances
- Savings
- Employment and education details.
- Business activities – self employed claims
Why we collect your data
- For the purposes of administering and enforcing council tax under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and its associated regulations
- To administer its council tax support scheme under S13A and Schedule 1a of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and its associated regulations.
- To administer the Housing Benefit scheme under the Social Security Administration Act (SSAA) 1992 and Welfare Reform Act (WRA) 2012.
- To process manual and electronically submitted Housing Benefit and Council Tax applications, appeals and other communication relating to services we provide and the above statutory functions.
Our lawful basis for processing your personal data.
We must have a legal basis to process your personal data. Where we use personal data for the above purposes and statutory functions the sections of the law that apply under UK GDPR are:
- Article 6(1)(c) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the council is subject.
- Article 6(1)(e) – processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the council.
For sensitive special category data (for example about health conditions).
- Article 9(2)(b)-processing is necessary for the purposes of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of the council or data subject in the field of employment and social security and social protection law as authorised by UK law providing appropriate safeguards for the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject.
- Article 9(2)(g) – processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of UK law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and interests of the data subject.
How we collect your personal data
1. Directly from you
- The personal data you provide whilst using the Revenues and Benefits website and our services.
- Any information collected from you as part of our online registration / application process.
- If you contact us, we will keep a record of that correspondence.
- We may ask you to complete a customer satisfaction survey that we use for research purposes.
2. From third parties or publicly available sources
We may share your personal data with including where necessary passing and receiving personal data about you and your family with the following:
- Department for Work and Pensions
- Pension Service
- Jobcentre Plus
- Private sector companies such as banks and organisations that may lend you money.
- Landlords
- Estate Agents and Letting Agents
- Land Registry
- Pension providers
- HM Revenue & Customs
- Valuation Office Agency
- Valuation Tribunal
- Housing Benefit Tribunal
- Office of National Statistics
- Police and law enforcement agencies
- Court Service
- Civil enforcement agents previously known as ‘bailiffs’
- Companies House
- The Insolvency Service
- Liquidators
- Employers
- Money Advice Agencies
- Educational establishments
- Other departments within the council, other councils, and government departments
- We may use your data to identify if additional help or support can be provided, such as, the Lincs 4 Warmer Homes Scheme, Housing payments or additional Funding provided by the Government such as the Crisis Resilience Fund.
- Office of National Statistics
- Other third parties where legally allowed.
This may include sharing sensitive special category personal data you provide about you and your family, for example regarding health. Where you provide personal data about your family, we assume you have done so with their consent.
This includes testing on a copy of your live data in a secure isolated environment to improve service delivery.
The council may also use the service of approved companies/organisations to check, and process claims and applications. We are also under a duty to protect the public funds we administer, and we may use the personal data you have provided for the prevention and detection of fraud. We may also share this with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.
We will not disclose your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes.
What are my rights in relation to my personal data?
You have the right to request access to your personal data, to request that it be rectified if incorrect, to object to or restrict its processing and to its erasure in certain circumstances. Where possible, we will seek to comply with your request, but we may be required to hold and process information to comply with a legal requirement.
How long we will retain your personal data for?
Personal data will be held for 6 years from the end of the claim or last action on the account in accordance with the Limitation Act 1980.
Council Tax began on 1 April 1993 and in some circumstances the amount of Council Tax payable can be reduced from this date. In order that we can refund any money that is due therefore we retain the necessary records from this date.
Who can I complain to about how my personal data is used?
If you want to know more about your rights relating to your personal data, we hold about you or you have a complaint regarding the way we have handled your personal data;
If you are a Lincoln resident, please contact the Data Protection Officer at: City of Lincoln Council, City Hall, Beaumont Fee, LN1 1DD (dpo@lincoln.gov.uk).
OR
If you are a resident of North Kesteven, please contact the Corporate Information Manager at: North Kesteven District Council, District Council Offices, Kesteven Street, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7EF
Email: dataprotection@n-kesteven.gov.uk
If however, you remain unhappy, then you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Reviewed: 22 June 2026