Overpayments privacy notice
Who are we and what we do
London Borough of Redbridge, Housing and Council Tax Reduction Section, Revenues, Benefits and Transactional Centre, PO Box 1354, Lynton House, 255-259 High Road, Ilford, IG1 1NN.
Email: housing.benefits@redbridge.gov.uk
Phone: 020 8708 5690
Why we need your information and how we use it
The information we collect form you and the information provided to us by the Department for Work and Pensions and third-party credit agencies is required for the collection of your Housing Benefit overpayment; under the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 and associated Regulations.
We use the information to arrange a suitable repayment plan, where someone is unable to pay an invoice in full.
We many use information provided by you and third-party credit agencies to assist in the recovery of Council Tax.
We may use information provided by you and third-party credit agencies to assist in the recovery of Sundry debts.
We may use information provided by you and third-party credit agencies to assist in the recovery of Council rents.
We may use the information to request information and the setting up of deductions from further Housing Benefit entitlement with other organisations that handle public funds; in accordance with Regulation 102 of the Housing Benefit General Regulations 1987.
We may use your information to contact your employer to set up a Direct Earning Attachment; this is under Part 6 of the Social Security (Overpayments and Recovery) Regulations 2013.
We may use your information to register your debt and carry out further enforcement with the County Court: In accordance with Section 75(7) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (as amended).
We may use your information to pass an unpaid invoice to an outside debt tracing/collection service.
We have a duty to protect public funds, and may use information held about you for all lawful purposes, including and not limited to the prevention and detection of fraud, matching council tax data with electoral registration records and protecting public funds in investigating misuse of public money.
To determine a suitable repayment plan, we collect information about, you, your partner, your children and other adults that live in your household.
This information includes; name, address, date of birth, National Insurance Number, earned income, benefits and allowances, bank accounts, savings, investments, property ownership, rent paid and any other information required in the collection of your Housing Benefit overpayment.
Who your information may be shared with (internally and externally)
By law we must give out some information if we are asked - for example by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HM Revenue & Customs.
We may share details with other organisations that handle public funds and assist in the collection of Housing Benefit.
How information about you will be used
The information we hold, including details of household income provided by you, can only be shared for the following reasons:
To help with the collection of monies owed for another council service - if you have arrears with one or more of the following;
- Council Tax
- Council Rent
- Sundry debt
How long we keep your information
We retain your information for six years after full repayment of the overpayment.
If the account has an active fraud investigation, we will retain all information until 6 years after the end of the fraud investigation and conclusion of court action.
Marketing and E-Newsletters
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.
Business Intelligence, profiling and Automated-Decision making
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.
Protecting your information
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.
How you can access, update, or correct your information
The Data protection law give you the right to apply for a copy of information about yourself. This is called 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 at housing.benefits@redbridge.gov.uk or write to us at:
London Borough of Redbridge
Housing and Council Tax Reduction Section
Revenues, Benefits and Transactional Centre
PO Box 1354, Lynton House
255-259 High Road
Ilford IG1 1NN
Email: housing.benefits@redbridge.gov.uk
Tel: 020 8708 5690
Your information choice and rights
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice
Information Commissioner's Office
Please see the relevant section of the Corporate Privacy Notice.
