Privacy notice

What we do with personal information

We use this information only for the intended purpose that you have provided it for.

However, the information you provide may be used within other departments of the council to provide a complete service to you.

Your information will be held only for as long as necessary and it will not be passed to any other parties.

In some cases, the council may use your information for another purpose if it is under a legal duty to do so.

Ealing Council has a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and accordingly may use the information you have provided for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also share this information with law enforcement agencies and other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

The council's primary purpose for processing your personal data is in order to provide services to which you are entitled and in order to get in touch with you.

As part of this function the council will use your information:

  • for the particular purpose(s) specified at the point data is provided by you or by another person on your behalf
  • to communicate and consult with you in order to provide services appropriate to your needs
  • to monitor and improve performance in relation to those services
  • to assist with the planning of future service provision
  • for all law enforcement, regulation and licensing, criminal prosecutions and court proceedings. We will use all information held by us in order to undertake those functions efficiently and effectively
  • for the prevention and detection of fraud. We may also share your information with other bodies responsible for the auditing or administering of public funds for these purposes
  • for the maintenance and improvement of the services which we deliver, this includes the development and upgrading of the systems which we use to process your information
  • where there are financial transactions relating to some services, such as grants, payments and benefits. We therefore may use your information for all uses relating to situations where you owe money to the council, or where we are paying you money, or you are claiming grants, housing benefit or council tax reduction, your personal information (other than just your name, address, dates of birth etc.) will be kept secure and used only for that range of purposes.

Where Ealing Council discloses personal information this is carried out in accordance with its registration under the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Bill.

Automated decision making

We use information provided by individuals, the Department of Work and Pension, HMRC or individuals’ landlords and other parties such as credit reference agencies, to decide entitlement to housing benefit, discounts for council tax, community care grants, crisis payments, provide personal budgeting support including onward referral to other organisations and digital support for online benefit applications.

How we keep your information safe

Ealing Council has implemented technical measures to safeguard your information from:

  • unauthorised access
  • improper use or disclosure
  • unauthorised modification
  • unlawful destruction or accidental loss