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Cost of Living and Discretionary Cost of Living Support Schemes

How we use your personal information for the Cost of Living and Discretionary Cost of Living Support Schemes purposes

The Council provides services for local communities and the people who live in them. Undertaking this work means that we must collect and use information about the people we provide services to and keep a record of those services. Because we collect and use personal information about individuals, we must make sure that they know what we intend to do with their information and who it may be shared with. 

We have summarised in this Privacy Notice some of the key ways in which we use your personal information for the Cost of Living and Discretionary Cost of Living Support Schemes purposes. This information should be read in conjunction with the Council’s Corporate Privacy Notice and the Council Tax Privacy Notices.

1. Who we are, what we do?

The Council, on behalf of the Welsh Government, will be administering the Cost of Living Support Scheme (the main scheme) and the Discretionary Cost of Living Support Scheme. The schemes are intended to provide immediate support as Wales recovers from the pandemic and support households to deal with the impact of increasing energy and other costs. The Council will be issuing payments and processing registrations in line with the scheme requirements.

2. What and whose personal information we hold?

The information we hold and process for those entitled to the payments and the people living with them will typically include:

  • personal contact details - such as name, address, date of birth, telephone number, email address
  • council tax details
  • bank details

Where your home is a house in multiple occupation, we will also ask you to provide documents as evidence such as your latest tenancy agreement, or a bank/building society statement.

Specifically for the Family Payment scheme we will also process:

  • details around the eldest child of compulsory school age – name of child, their date of birth, age, and school they attend.

In limited circumstances, we may also ask you to provide us details of your child’s documents such as their passport, birth certificate or a letter with your child’s details on (such as child tax credit) in order for us to verify their identity.

3. Where does the service get my information from?

We will get this information from:

  • council tax records already held by us
  • education records already held by us, schools, or other local authorities – where your child attends a school outside of Rhondda Cynon Taf
  • you, if you submit a registration form, or through correspondence with us
  • a member of your family/ household/ property, where they include your details on a registration form

4. What will we do with your personal information?

We will use your information to:

  • check if you are entitled to a payment under the scheme(s), against the requirements outlined above, including identifying and detecting fraud
  • carry out relevant checks to prevent you, or those living with you from receiving duplicate payments
  • verify your identity (and/or your child’s identity for the Family Payment Scheme)
  • automatically process the payment where you are a Council Tax direct debit payer and you are entitled under the scheme(s)
  • send a letter to you inviting you to register, if we think you are entitled to any of the payments
  • process the payment, where you are entitled
  • confirm when payment is being made/has been made
  • contact you about your registration, where we have any queries

5. What is the legal basis for the use of this information?

The Council will be processing your information in line with our public task duties and to administer the schemes on behalf of Welsh Government.

6. Does the service share my personal information with any other organisation?

To confirm information provided to us and to check your eligibility for the scheme/s, information will be shared between Council Services, such as Council Tax and Education and/or your child’s school. Specifically for the Family Payment scheme, this will also include schools and/or the related local authority, where your child attends a school outside of Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Where false, inaccurate, or misleading information is intentionally supplied to us, it may be subject to prosecution action and in such circumstances, we would need to share your information with appropriate authorities for proceedings.

We share anonymous statistical information with Welsh Government, which will not identify you.

7. How long will my information be kept?

Records relating to these schemes will be kept for 2 years.

8. Your information, your rights

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you important rights, including the right to access the personal information the services hold about you.

9. Contact us

If you have any concerns or would like to know more about how the service using your personal information, please contact us in one of the following ways:

By telephone: 01443 425002

In writing: Oldway House, Porth, Rhondda, CF39 9ST