Bracknell Forest Council Local Welfare Scheme privacy notice

Updated: April 2025

Our contact details

Name: Data Protection Officer

Address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD

Phone Number: 01344 352000

Email: dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Council is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

You can find us on the ICO website - our registration number is Z4971654.

The type of personal information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

  • surname, first name and title
  • date of birth
  • address and postcode
  • email
  • phone number
  • National Insurance number
  • your nationality and how long you have lived in the UK
  • financial details including your income and any bank accounts you have
  • information about where you live including tenancy details, rent charged, type of property you live in and your landlord details

We also collect the following, which is, or could include, special category data:

How we get the personal information and why we have it

Information is collected from you as the service user by:

  • online forms
  • hard copy documents
  • email
  • telephone
  • face to face discussion

This information will be collected from either you directly as the data subject, or from a representative acting on your behalf.

Information to help us assess your entitlement could come from:

  • housing benefit and Council Tax Support systems
  • Council Tax
  • fraud teams
  • children’s services
  • housing services
  • other councils that you have lived in or are moving to

Bracknell Forest Council Welfare and Housing Service work to help and support Bracknell Forest residents who are vulnerable, experiencing a disaster, crisis, emergency or who find themselves in financial difficulties.

This service is provided to residents upon request by the individual or referral by a concerned third party.

To improve the service we deliver we may also use your information to communicate with you and provide services appropriate to your needs. This could include help with applications for these services:

  • disabled facilities grant
  • discretionary housing payment
  • help with supporting people services
  • residential care
  • domiciliary care - such as day care, home helps and meals
  • free school meals
  • food support and other support programmes
  • referrals to Citizens Advice Bureau for financial inclusions

We may also use information to identify and support people who are at risk of becoming homeless.

Information held by the welfare service is used for the assessment of applications for a Bracknell Council Local Welfare Scheme.

How the law allows us to use your personal information

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing this information is to perform a public task and is vital to enable us to effectively support our residents.

Those tasks have a clear basis within the following legislation:

Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis for processing is Article 6 UK GDPR:

  • (c) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which we are subject

Special category data

Special category data is being processed under Article 9 UK GDPR:

  • (e) processing relates to personal data which are manifestly made public by the data subject
  • (d) processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person
  • (e) a task carried out in the public interest

You can read the guide to lawful basis for processing special category data on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Who we share your information with

To process applications we may need to share information with other organisations we work with or those who provide services on our behalf. These include:

  • the Department for Work and Pensions
  • HM Revenue and Customs
  • other councils
  • processing partners
  • auditors
  • IT and software providers
  • organisations who provide goods and services granted under the scheme

Occasionally, your information may be accessed by contracted IT providers. Access by IT providers will only be for reasons of technical support, and any viewing of data will be incidental to this.

There are other specific situations where we may be required to disclose information about you, such as:

  • where we are required to provide the information by law
  • where disclosing the information is required to prevent or detect a crime, including fraud
  • where disclosure is in the vital interests of the person concerned

How we store your personal information

Your information is stored electronically on:

  • secure encrypted laptops
  • secure council systems
  • shared drives for which access is restricted to the team for which the data is necessary

Data will not be kept for longer than is necessary and is kept in line with the council’s retention and disposal schedule. We will dispose your information by securely destroying any data we hold.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information.

Your right of access

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.

Find out more about your right of access from the ICO.

Your right to get your data corrected

You have the right to ask us to correct information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies.

Find out more about your right to get your data corrected from the ICO.

Your right to get your data deleted

You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to get your data deleted from the ICO.

Your right to limit how organisations use your data

You have the right to ask us to limit the processing of your information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to limit how organisations use your data from the ICO.

Your right to object to the use of your data

You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our public tasks.

Find out more about your right to object to the use of your data from the ICO.

Your right to data portability

This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you.

The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or for the performance of a contract, and the processing is automated.

Find out more about your right to data portability from the ICO.

Making a request

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have 28 days to respond to you.

To make a request, contact us by emailing: benefits@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Service adjustments

As a public authority and a provider of services to the public, we have a legal duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

This means we need to make service adjustments for anyone with a disability who contacts us in any capacity, to eliminate any barriers to accessing our services.

Our lawful basis for processing this information is article 6(1)(c) of the UK GDPR as we have a legal obligation to provide this. Our processing of special category data, such as health information you give us, will be based on article 9(2)(a), which means we need your consent.

We will create a record of your adjustment requirements. These will give your name, contact details and type of adjustment required, along with a brief description of why it is required. Relevant staff can access this to make sure they are communicating with you in the required way.

Please contact benefits@bracknell-forest.gov.uk should you require service adjustments.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data by:

  • visiting the ICO website
  • phoning the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113
  • writing to:
    • Information Commissioner’s Office
      Wycliffe House
      Water Lane
      Wilmslow
      Cheshire
      SK9 5AF