This page was last updated on 21 July 2025.
Our contact details
Name: Andrew Wilcock
Address: Revenues and Benefits, Gravesham Borough Council, Civic Centre, Windmill Street. Gravesend, Kent DA12 1AU
Phone Number: 01474 33 78 12
The type of personal information we collect
We currently collect and process the following information:
Identifiable Personal Data
Full name, Address, email address, telephone number, date of birth, National Insurance number, bank account details (for payments, refunds and direct debits), Property details (Landlord information, housing status, ownership status, tenancy agreements), Employment details. (Employer name, salary, work status), Financial details (income, savings, capital and expenditure, benefit entitlement status, DWP assessed income and Benefit Details, HMRC Benefit Details, utility bills), Household composition (Details of who lives in the property).
Special category data
Where applicable and necessary we also hold the following types of special category data - Health information (Medical conditions and disabilities), Ethnic Origin, Gender.
Other (General Personal Data)
Payment history (including arrears, debts and recovery actions), Fines, enforcement notices, legal action, Marital Status
This information is collected about you, your partner, any non-dependants and your children including any additional members in your household. The information is collected by telephone, email, in writing or in person.
We may also process personal details for those who are appointed to act on behalf of claimants/account holders.
How we get the personal information and why we have it
Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:
- To determine eligibility to Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction
- To determine eligibility to a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)
- To determine eligibility to a Financial Support Payment (FSP)
- To determine eligibility to Local Welfare Support
- Processing of Housing Benefit payments
- Conduct Housing Benefit Investigations and Recovery of Housing Benefit overpayments
We also receive personal information indirectly, from the following sources:
- The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
- His Majesties Revenues and Customs (HMRC)
Data derived from the DWP and HMRC will be used in the testing or development environment.
Some of our processes involve decisions that are made either as part of our annual uprating processes before a new financial year or following information provided to us from the DWP e.g. changes in your income that affect your entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction. You will be notified of our decision in writing, and you should let us know if you think this decision is incorrect.
We may share this information with:
- Internal council departments (Customer Services, IT, Audit and Counter Fraud, Council Tax, Housing Options, Housing Services including Disabled Grants, Parking Enforcement, Planning, Electoral Services, Finance, Income and Exchequer) who require access to this information for the purpose of administration, regulation and law enforcement.
- Your landlord. We do not contact your landlord about your claim, but if you get Housing Benefit paid direct to a landlord, we give them details about payment dates and amounts. With your consent, the Council can give information about the progress of your claim to your landlord. We may also ask you to fill in a review form. If we do this, we may tell your landlord.
- If you are a private tenant, we provide the Valuation Office Agency Rent Service details about your home and rent.
- Your employer, when necessary for the recovery of benefit overpayments.
- Police – for investigation and prevention of crime.
- The council has a legal duty to submit information as part of the National Fraud Initiative (NFI).
- His Majesties Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – We have a statutory duty under Schedule 23 of the Finance Act 2011 to submit returns to the HMRC.
- Judicial Agencies e.g. Courts, Tribunals
- Other Local Authorities
- Immigration Service
- Government Departments e.g. DWP, DCLG
- Contractors providing revenues and benefits services (e.g. off-site processing, personal budgeting support, emergency food provision etc.) and IT services
- Elected Members
- Enforcement agents
- External Auditors (Grant Thornton) HB Subsidy Claims/ Solicitors ongoing legal matters
- National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN)
- Kent Intelligence Network
- LoCTA to carry out data matching exercises. Data matching is comparing computer records held by one organisation with other computer records held by the same organisation or a different one. This is usually personal information. Computerised data matching allows us to identify claims and payments that may be fraudulent. A match means that there is an inconsistency between the sets of records that need investigating.
- Xantura providing a single view of household debt.
- Policy in Practice to identify households using the Low-Income Family Tracker (LIFT) and provide additional financial support or signposting to additional benefits available via the DWP/Pension Service
- Southern Water to assist with reduction in water bills.
Your information will only be disclosed to those organisations where the council is required and allowed to do so by law, or to safeguard public safety and in risk of harm or emergency situations.
The council will not share your information with third parties for marketing or any other purposes.
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are:
(a) We have a legal obligation.
Legal obligation under various UK laws including but not limited to:
- The Local Government Finance Act 1992
- Local Government Finance Act 1988
- Local Government Act 1972
- Social Security Administration Act 1992
- Social Security Contributions Act
- Housing Benefit Regulations 2006
- Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006
- The Localism Act 2011
- The Equality Act 2010
- The Local Government Finance Act 2012
- Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
- Fraud Act 2006
- The Welfare Reform Act 2012
- Customer Support Grant – Welfare provision
(b) We need it to perform a public task.
We collect and lawfully process your personal data as it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority.
(c) Consent
In some instances, the Council may collect personal data with your consent for customer satisfaction surveys or receiving newsletters. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting: HBcustomer.services@gravesham.gov.uk
How we store your personal information
Your information is securely stored in our internal database management system
We keep your data for 7 years after your account has been closed on our system. If there is a balance outstanding or debt owed to the council, we shall retain your data until the debt has been fully recovered.
Your data will be securely destroyed after the retention period has ended.
Data Processing
There is a limited form of data processing that occurs automatically when assessing the eligibility to housing benefits and to local welfare support. Human intervention is built into our processes to ensure data is processed fairly and transparently.
To determine the eligibility to housing benefits: We may increase, decrease or suspend a benefit award automatically, based upon a change in circumstances reported to us by the DWP system such as your ongoing entitlement to Universal Credit.
To determine eligibility to Local Welfare support: The policy in practice is to analyse restricted elements of your personal data (household, income, capital, rent, council tax arrears) to identify if you are eligible for additional financial support provide either by the Council or the DWP/Pension Service. This data is refreshed monthly and analysed using human interaction to determine if further action is relevant and necessary by the council.