Revenues and benefits privacy notice

Part of: Trafford Council privacy notice

Contents

Read this alongside the Trafford Council privacy notice for information that applies to all services.

This page explains how we collect and use personal information in revenues and benefits services.

This notice covers:

  • Housing benefit
  • Free school meals
  • Welfare rights team (CFW ASC)

For information about how we use your data for council tax, see the council tax privacy notice.

What information we collect

We may collect:

  • Name, address, date of birth and contact details
  • National Insurance number and other identification details
  • Information about your household and family members
  • Employment and income details
  • Bank account and payment information
  • Details of benefits you receive
  • Tenancy or mortgage details
  • Evidence to support benefit or free school meals applications
  • Information about health or disability where relevant to entitlement

Some of this may include special category data, such as:

  • Health information
  • Racial or ethnic origin (if relevant to service provision)

Why we collect your information

We use your information to:

  • Assess and pay housing benefit
  • Assess eligibility for free school meals
  • Provide welfare rights advice and support
  • Recover overpayments
  • Prevent and detect fraud
  • Meet our legal duties under the Social Security Administration Act 1992, the Education Act 1996 and related legislation

Our lawful basis

The main legal bases we use are:

  • Public task – to carry out our duties under benefits and education law
  • Legal obligation – to comply with statutory requirements for benefits administration

For special category data, we rely on:

  • Substantial public interest – under UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) and Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018, for the prevention and detection of unlawful acts and to ensure equal access to services

Who we share your information with

We may share your information with:

  • Other council teams, such as housing and education
  • The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
  • Schools and education providers (for free school meals eligibility)
  • The police or other law enforcement agencies
  • Voluntary and community organisations providing benefits advice or support
  • The Cabinet Office as part of the National Fraud Initiative

How long we keep your information

Benefits and free school meals records are kept for six years after the case is closed.

Some records may be kept longer where there is ongoing recovery action or a legal requirement.

Automated decision‑making

Some benefit entitlement decisions are made solely by automated systems.

For example, our systems may automatically determine housing benefit or free school meals eligibility using information received from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), without a member of staff reviewing the decision before it is applied.

These automated decisions can affect whether you receive a benefit or service.

You have the right to:

  • Request that a person reviews the decision
  • Express your point of view
  • Challenge the decision

To use these rights, see the contact us section in the primary privacy notice.

Contact us

If you have questions about how we use your information in revenues and benefits services, see the contact us section in the primary privacy notice.