Disabled Parking Badges Privacy Notice

How we use your personal information for Customer Services Contact Centre Blue Badge Processing

The Council provides services for local communities and the people who live in them.  Undertaking this work means that we must collect and use information about the people we provide services to and keep a record of those services. Because we collect and use personal information about individuals, we must make sure that they know what we intend to do with their information and who it may be shared with. 

We have summarised in this privacy notice some of the keyways in which we use your personal information for Disabled Badge processing purposes. This information should be read in conjunction with the Council's corporate privacy notice published at our main website.

https://en.powys.gov.uk/privacy

1.   Who we are and what we do

The Contact Centre is the main Customer response service for the Council. It includes many incoming telephone calls including that of Disabled Badges, we ensure we take all relevant information to deal with the processing of your application. In conjunction with this our Library service can also help with capturing the details and assisting in the collection of information/documentation that is then passed to our department to start the process.

2.   What and whose personal information we hold?

Where customers choose to interact with the contact centre their personal data may be shared with the relevant service area/and wider organisations, if necessary, for them to process the customer's request.

The type of information that is captured and recorded will vary by applicant r needs but typically includes:

• Contact detail such as name, address, telephone number, property, and email addresses.
• Identifying details, including date of birth and national insurance number.
• Financial information, including Benefits received,
• Family information including ages, dependents, marital status.
• Information about the subject matter's health and medical details.

3.   Where does the service get my information?

The source(s) of personal information provided to/from the Contact Centre may include:

• Information provided directly by the subject matter.
• Information provided by a family member or another member of the public (e.g., Queries/concern)
• Information provided by an elected Councillor on behalf of their constituent.
• Information provided by other Council officers/services that liaise with the Contact Centre in the interests of its customers, or the Council itself e.g., Enforcement, social care, Fraud, Income and Awards

Information provided by other organisations (e.g., Emergency Services, health board, other council's, DWP (Searchlight service) regarding an individual.

4.   What will we do with your personal information?

Information held with regards to a Disabled Badge can be used in the following ways:

• An application form or queries can be received into the department via various methods, this can be telephone, whereby the advisor assists the caller through the form and then prints it out and the customer signs it and sends it back with the evidence. The Customer can apply online via our website and partially complete the form and then print it off and return with evidence, the caller can go to the library and pick up a hardcopy of the form, complete it and sent it back with evidence, and the library can verify all these documents. An application form can be completed directly from the www.gov.uk/apply-blue-badge and this will then be transferred to our department for action.

• Once the Information is received it can fall under various categories e.g.: Automatic Qualifier, (e.g., DLA - Higher rate) or checked against our social care records for evidence from a professional or referred to the GP service.
• Once the application is checked and approved it is electronically inputted into the backend of Gov.uk system and processed via our hosted system company Valtec ltd.
• It is then sent to our external supplier APS for the badge to be printed.

5.   What is the legal basis for the use of this information?

Public Tasks - to exercise 'official authority' and powers that are set out in law; or to perform a specific task in the public interest that is set out in law.(Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (CSDPA 1970). Powys County Council is required by law to protect the public funds it administers and may share information provided to it with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds to prevent and detect fraud.

6. Does the service share my personal information with any other organisation?

Whilst information gathered during a call/processing action may be shared with other Council services or external organisations to assist in the resolution of the subject matter's enquiry, it will remain confidential and will only be shared with the following, where reasons for sharing is appropriate or where the law requires us to do so:

• Other Council services who work with the Contact Centre, with the intention to assist in resolving a dispute or complaint. e.g., Social Care, enforcement,
• The Police, to assist in the resolution of a criminal matter.
• Other organisations involved in the care of the subject matter (i.e., Social Services/Health care professionals, GP's etc.) 
• Other Councils to check records.
• National Fraud Initiative in line with Powys County Council SWAP Internal Audit Services and our Income and Awards service.

7. How long will my information be kept?

Hard Copy Application forms are inputted and then destroyed after 3 months from the receipted date. Retention periods are 4 years for all electronically stored Information. Once this period of retention has expired, records will be deleted and no longer retrievable.

8. Your information, your rights

The Data Protection legislation provides people with important rights, including the right to access the personal information the services hold about you. Please contact us if you require further details.

9. Contact Us

If you have any concerns or would like to know more about how the contact centre is using your personal information, please contact us in one of the following ways:

By email: customerservices@powys.gov.uk

In writing: Senior Manager Customer Services and Information Governance.

This privacy notice was reviewed October 2023