Fair processing notices - Business rates

To comply with data protection legislation we are telling you how we use the personal data we hold about you.  

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the data controller for the personal information you have provided in relation to non-domestic rates (business rates). 

The purposes for which the data will be used are:

• the administration of business rates in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 1988. This includes establishing your liability, billing and recovery of the amount owing

We are required by this legislation to hold and use your information for non-domestic rates administration.  Some of this data is also used:

• to help with the collection of other money owing to the city council such as council tax, rent, or other sundry debts
• to safeguard adults, and children under the Children’s Act 1989
• for the prevention and detection of fraud under Digital Economy Act 2017 (Part 5)
• to detect and prevent issues relating to environmental health under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Part III, section 79
• for the purpose of consumer protection under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

We might also share some of your information with other agencies such as:

• other local authorities in the public interest
• Valuation Office Agency (VOA)
• Valuation Tribunal Service
• third party enforcement agents acting on behalf of the city council
• third party companies acting on behalf of the city council for debt collection

Data held for the administration of non-domestic rates is held for up to six years following the closure of your account, and where there is no balance owing.
 
Data protection legislation provides you with certain rights, however not all of these rights will be available to you in all situations.  Where we are under a legal duty to use data for a particular purpose you will not have the right to prevent it being used in that way:

• you can ask to see the information that we hold about you
• you can ask what is being done with the information that we hold about you
• you can ask to have some data that we hold about you deleted
• you can ask us to review a decision made about you by a computer, and ask for a new decision to be made without a computer
• you can ask us to stop processing data that we hold about you, but only in limited circumstances, such as processing for research, historical or direct marketing reasons
• you can ask us to make changes to inaccurate data
• you can ask us to move your information somewhere else
• you can ask us to restrict or limit what we do with your data, for example if you believe that data we hold is inaccurate, or you believe the processing is unlawful

We may share data with our internal audit team to evaluate the effectiveness of the organisation’s risk management, control and governance processes.  We may also share your data with the council's fraud team to help to prevent and detect fraud.

Complete our online form to ask us about this

You can also write to the information rights team at foi@stoke.gov.uk or Information Rights Team, Floor 2, Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH
 
If you wish to complain about how your personal information has been handled by the city council, contact the information rights team in the first instance, on the details provided above.

If you remain dissatisfied the Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted.

Information Commissioner's Office website

You have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at any time.