Who we are

Milton Keynes council revenues service maintains databases to ensure efficient and effective billing, collection and recovery of Council Tax. Everything we do with information about people, such as how we collect it and who we share it with, has to comply with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that came into force in May 2018.  A key part of this is being open about what personal information we hold about you, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it for, etc. You also need to know what rights you have in this respect.

The information we hold

Most of the information we hold starts as a result of:

• an individual directly contacting us wanting to use one of our services.
• another organisation, such as the Department of Work & Pensions making a referral to us, generally on the individual’s behalf and with their knowledge.

We also sometimes hold some information about individuals that other organisations are required to provide to us. This may include organisations like the police, NHS, etc. They will have their own privacy notices that explain what information they collect and who they share it with. We also require other agencies/persons such as estate/rental agents, property managers/owners, landlords to provide information to establish liability for Council Tax and we may request address information in order to adhere to our statutory obligations to administer and collect the Council Tax, providing this information does not contravene Data Protection legislation. The exemption that applies to Council Tax is Schedule 2 (exemptions from the GDPR) - Part 1 - Adaptations and restrictions based on Articles 6(3) and 23(1). The section that applies is highlighted in bold below.

2 (1) The listed GDPR provisions do not apply to personal data processed for any of the following purposes:-

(a) the prevention or detection of crime,

(b) the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, or

(c) the assessment or collection of a tax or duty or an imposition of a similar nature,

to the extent that the application of those provisions would be likely to prejudice any of the matters mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (c).

Personal information that we might hold within the Council Tax service includes information such as address, phone number, email address, etc.  We might also hold sensitive personal data (referred to as special categories of data under GDPR) including ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities, medical conditions, etc.

Why we have it and what we use it for

We collect and hold information about:

• people who are liable to pay Council Tax
• property owners and agents
• occupiers of properties
• property addresses
• employment details
• empty homes
• discounts and exemptions

We will use this information so we can:

• decide who should pay Council Tax.
• issue Council Tax bills and other appropriate documentation.
• undertake enforcement action where payment is not made.
• consider and award entitlements to discounts and exemptions.

We have a statutory obligation to administer and collect Council Tax under The Local Government Finance Act 1992 and The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992. To deliver these we need to collect and use personal information of those using or affected by these services.

Whenever we use information, we always limit this to only the details that are needed and we ensure that it is used safely and securely. We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too. All our staff receive training on data protection and information security.

All of the personal information we hold is kept securely on our council servers within the UK. There is also no automatic decision-taking when your personal information is processed.

Who we share information with and why

We share information with a range of different types of people and organisations depending on the service being provided or the statutory requirements that we have to comply with. The types of recipients include:

• local government organisations such as The Valuation Tribunal Service and Valuation Office Agency
• the Department of Work & Pensions
• our contractors: organisations that we commission to provide goods and services including Enforcement Agents
• law enforcement agencies, such as Thames Valley Police
• Bucks Fire and Rescue Services
• regulatory bodies, investigators and ombudsman, for example Local Government Ombudsman
• courts, tribunals and prisons
• legal representatives
• fraud prevention agencies
• debt collection agencies
• housing associations and landlords

By law we must give out some information if we are asked - for example by the Valuation Office Agency (part of HM Revenue & Customs).

Information may be shared with other departments at Milton Keynes council. It may also be shared with other agencies in accordance with prevailing data protection statute for the detection and prevention of fraud and crime.

The council will also use the information for the purpose of performing any of its statutory enforcement duties. It will make any disclosures required by law and may also share this information with other bodies responsible for detecting/preventing fraud or auditing/administering public funds.

How long we keep information

We only keep information for as long as it is needed. Information is retained until it is no longer relevant. For example, information may be kept in order to review customer’s entitlement to a discount or exemption.

We will not disclose your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

For further information regarding our data protection policy and guidelines check our data protection page. 

Your rights

You have various rights around the data we hold about you. More information on these can be found on our Corporate Privacy Notice.

If you would like any further information about how your personal information is used within the Council Tax service, then please contact:

• Email: counciltax@milton-keynes.gov.uk
• Phone: 01908 253794
• Postal address: Council Tax, PO Box 5327, Civic Offices, 1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes MK9 3EJ

You are also legally entitled to request access to any records held by the council about yourself, this is called a Subject Access Request (SAR).  Find out more on how to make a Subject Access Request.

The accuracy of your information is important to us to be able to provide relevant services more quickly. We are working to make our record keeping more efficient.  In the meantime, if you change your address or email address, or if any of your circumstances change or any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date, please email us or write to us.

If you wish to access a copy of your personal information, or are unhappy with any aspect of how your information has been collected and/or used, you can make a complaint to the corporate Data Protection Officer.