PN008 - Direct Payments Privacy Notice

Torfaen County Borough Council is committed to protecting your privacy when you use our services. This Privacy Notice is designed to give you information about the data we hold about you, how we use it, your rights in relation to it and the safeguards in place to protect it.

TCBC Service Area: Resources
Work Area: Financial Services
Contact Details: ssfinance.expenditureteam@torfaen.gov.uk
Privacy Notice Name: Direct Payments

Data Controller: Torfaen County Borough Council, c/o Civic Centre, Pontypool, NP4 6YB

If you wish to raise a concern about the handling of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer on 01495 762200 or email dpa@torfaen.gov.uk

This Privacy Notice covers the Council’s Direct Payments review system and specifically the information clients submit to evidence income received under the Direct Payments scheme is used for the purposes intended.

Who provides your data to the Council?

The personal information we process is provided to us directly by you.

The Council has an obligation to ensure income received by clients under the Direct Payments scheme is used for the purposes intended as identified in the Care and Support Plan.

How does the Council collect this information?

The Council collects this information in the following way: 

  • Email
  • Letter
  • Telephone

What information does the Council collect about you?

The Finance Team who reviews Direct Payments, collect, and process a range of information about you. This includes:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email
  • Telephone No.
  • Financial information (Bank Account Statements)

Why does the Council process your personal data?

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing this information is: -

  • We need it to perform a public task

Special categories of personal data

Although we don’t specifically ask for health information, we may collect this information during the review process. We collect this under Article 9 of the UK GDPR

We do not collect any other special category data.

We do not collect criminal data.

Who has access to your data?

Your data is shared internally only with the appropriate staff where it is necessary for the performance of their roles.

Your data is not shared externally with other organisations.

Apart from where previously stated, we do not pass your details to third parties unless we are lawfully required do so.

Is the Data transferred out of the UK?

No

How does the Council keep your data secure?

The Council has internal policies in place to ensure the data it processes is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or disclosed. Access to this data is restricted in accordance with the Council’s internal policies and in compliance with the UK GDPR.

Data will be stored securely within:

  • Direct Payments database stored on a secure network.

How long does the Council keep your data?

The Council will hold your personal data only for the period that is necessary and will follow organisational and Local Authority standards in this area. At the end of the retention period the Council will securely destroy or dispose of the data in line with retention schedules.

  • In relation to Direct Payments, your data will be held for two years after the year of processing.

It is not Council Policy to retain and hold bank statements, however the Council may retain bank statements until any issues which are identified are resolved.

Are we making automated decisions/profiling with your data?

No

Your rights

You have a number of Rights you can exercise:

  • Access - to obtain a copy of your data on request
  • Rectification – to require the Council to change incorrect or incomplete data
  • Object, Restrict or Delete - under certain circumstances you can require the Council to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing
  • Data portability – to receive and/or transmit data provided to the Council to other organisations (this applies in limited circumstances)
  • Withdraw your consent at any time (where consent has been given)
  • To know the consequences of failing to provide data to the Council
  • To know the existence of any Automated Decision-making, including profiling, and the consequences of this for you.
  • To lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Information Commissioners Office)

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact Wendy Edwards, Civic Centre, Pontypool, Torfaen, NP4 6YB wendy.edwards@torfaen.gov.uk

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (Wales), 2nd Floor, Churchill House, Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2HH. Telephone 0330 414 6421 or e-mail Wales@ico.org.uk

Last Modified: 17/07/2023 Back to top