This notice provides details of what information we collect from you, what we do with it, and who it might be shared with, when you complete forms for non-domestic rates and the Business Support Fund.
Identity and contact details of the controller and the data protection officer
Falkirk Council is the data controller. You can contact the data protection officer at:
Frequently asked questions
Why do we collect this information?
The information is being collected for the following purpose:
- Data is processed for the purpose of collecting and recovering non-domestic rates and the administration of non-domestic rates relief schemes.
- To allow us to determine whether your business is eligible to receive funding from the Scottish Government's Business Support Fund and to administer that funding to your business.
The legal basis each purpose is set out below:
| Legal basis |
Purpose |
| Consent |
|
| Performance of a contract |
|
| Legal obligation |
1 |
| Vital interests |
|
| Task carried out in the public interest |
1, 2 |
| Legitimate interests |
|
What information do we collect about you?
We collect:
- Your name/business name
- Your addresses (business and home)
- Your relationship to properties, for example, as an owner or a tenant
- Relevant dates, for example, when you or someone else moved in, moved out of, sold or bought a property
- Whether property is furnished or unfurnished, occupied or unoccupied
We are responsible for collecting and recovering non-domestic rates and the administration of non-domestic rates relief schemes on behalf of the Scottish Government. This includes processing applications and checking continuing entitlement to relief. These may require additional supporting information to be supplied before they can be awarded.
We keep copies of your communications with us and our responses. With your consent we may also hold your bank details, email address and telephone number depending on how you choose to pay and communicate with us.
Where do we collect information from?
The main sources of data are:
- Yourself/business
- Former/new occupiers or owners of business premises
- Landlords of business premises
- The Assessor for Central Scotland
- The Council's own records
- Another local authority
Who might we share your information with?
We collect and maintain data on behalf of the Scottish Government. Information is shared with the Assessor for Central Scotland who has a legal duty for property valuation for the purposes of non-domestic rates and the Sheriff Officers who deal with recovery of non-paid non-domestic rates on the Council's behalf.
We are legally obliged to safeguard public funds so we are required to verify and check your details internally for fraud prevention. We may share this information with other public bodies (and also receive information from these other bodies) for fraud checking purposes.
We are also legally obliged to share certain data with other public bodies, such as HMRC and will do so where the law requires this. We will also generally comply with requests for specific information from other regulatory and law enforcement bodies where this is necessary and appropriate. Your information may also be analysed internally to help us improve our services.
Your information will be shared with the Scottish Government for the purposes of determining your application and administering it. We may also share your information internally with the Council's Business Gateway team so that they can offer support in the future.
Information on your name, address, period of charge and reliefs is published daily (in an Excel Spreadsheet) on our website. This is to satisfied regular requests for this information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, as it is of public and commercial interest. Similar information is also provided online by the Scottish Assessors Association.
In order to increase transparency around the use of public funds for non-domestic rates relief awards, information associated with the awarding of the non-domestic rates reliefs may also be published on our website. This information may include the liability holder (company or sole trader name), non-domestic property information (including relevant property reference numbers), the date of the relief award, type of relief award, gross bill and net bill.
The Council uses a Civica software system to process non-domestic rates data. All data is held on Council secure servers.
Will we send your information outwith the UK?
The Council does not transfer your non-domestic rates data outwith the UK. If it were to make such transfers, it would only be with appropriate safeguards.
How long do we keep hold of your information?
We keep your information as long as required by law or by our business requirements. We have a Business Classification Scheme in place which sets out the types of records we hold, and how long we hold them - you can access the relevant part of the scheme below.
- Downloads
-
Finance
PDF file, 150.3 KB
What are my rights in relation to the information held about me?
You have the following rights:
- To see any information held about you by making a subject access request.
- To withdraw consent at any time, where the legal basis for processing is consent.
- To data portability, where the legal basis for processing is (i) consent or (ii) performance of a contract.
- To request rectification or erasure of your information, where data protection legislation allows this.
Do I have a right to complain about the way information has been used?
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, please let us know and we will try to resolve this. If you are still concerned, you can contact the Information Commissioner:
Do I have to provide my personal data to you?
Yes, you are required to provide us with data in order for us to charge and maintain non-domestic rates on behalf of the Scottish Government. You do not have to provide information to us in relation to reductions or reliefs, but we may then not be able to process your application or award you those.
Do you use any automated processes to make decisions about me?
We do not use automated decision making processes.
This notice was last updated in October 2020.