Business rates privacy notice

Who we are and what we do

We look after data to allow for the billing, collection and recovery of Business Rates. Business Rates is based at the civic centre.

Why we need your information and how we use it

We will use your information for the administration of Business Rates. This includes the billing, collection and recovery of Business Rates in accordance with:

• The Local Government Finance Act 1988
• The Non Domestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) Regulations 1989

Type of information collected 

The data that we collect and process for administering Business Rates is:

personal information such as: 

• Name / company name
• Evidence to support the award of relevant discounts, exemptions and reliefs
• your bank details should you pay by direct debit

Contact details including 

• your current and, if a company, registered office
• contact details of any third party that you may have authorised to deal with your account(s). For example, a Rating Agent
• telephone number
• email address

How we collect information about you

We collect your information from you 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
• from incoming correspondence such as emails/letters/forms/applications for discounts, reviews and exemptions from you, or others, including landlords, letting agents and rating agents
• through requests for information from other local authorities and public bodies
• checking the register of electors

Who your information may 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. We will only share the minimum information we need to. For Business Rates matters we may need to share your information with:

• your Councillor or MP (for example, if you have made a complaint to them about the council)
• Enforcement Agents, who are under contract with us, to recover unpaid Business Rates
• other Local Authorities
• Policing Authorities for the prevention and detection of a crime
• The Valuation Office Agency, to identify and value properties to be entered into the Business Rates list
• The Valuation Tribunal Service, to determine appeals

Sometimes, we share your information without your knowledge. We will never sell your information to anyone else.

General information must be provided under Freedom of Information requests. Personal details and payment details are excluded.

By law we must give out some information if we are asked - for example HM Revenue and Customs.

How long we keep your information

We will keep your information for as long as it is required by us or other regulatory bodies in order to comply with legal and regulatory requirements or for other operational reasons. 

We currently keep data for ratepayers back to the start of Business Rates list in 2005.

Protecting your information

Please see the Corporate privacy notice.

How you can access, update or correct your information

For Taxation we will approach you to review the data we hold. There is no set pattern but normally we will review aspects of the data we hold each year.

The Data Protection law gives you the right to apply for a copy of information about yourself. This is a 'Subject Access Request'. 

The accuracy of your information is important to us to be able to provide relevant services more quickly. 

Contact us if 

• you change your address or email address, 
• any of your circumstances change 
• any of the other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date