Privacy Notice and General Data Protection Policy

Further information about the Licensing Partnership

Members of the Licensing Partnership

The Licensing Partnership comprises of Maidstone Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and the London Borough of Bexley.
 

Information we collect

The information we collect from you may include:

  • Your vehicle registration number, vehicle ownership checks, vehicle make and model
  • Your address, telephone number, emails address
  • Contact we have had with you, such as any correspondence and penalty points
  • Identification badge
  • Image(s) of you
  • Personal reference(s)
  • Health data
  • MOT test certificates(s)
  • ‘Hire & reward’ insurance policy(ies)
  • Immigration status
  • Record of fee payments (excluding debit/credit card details)
  • Criminal or motoring offences, cautions or convictions
  • Information provided by the Disclosure & Barring Service


Why we collect this information

The information we collect is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. We collect this information to process your application for a licence in line with our legal obligation(s) under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the Licensing Act (2003).


Sharing your information

Information in relation to your application may be shared with the local authorities, which make up the Licensing Partnership, for the purposes of processing your application.  The authorities are:

  • Sevenoaks District Council
  • Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
  • Maidstone Borough Council
  • London Borough of Bexley Council

We are required by law to disclose information about licensed drivers to the Cabinet Office as part of the National Fraud Initiative. They may use it for their own reasons that are different to ours, but they still have to look after it in the same way. View the Cabinet Office privacy information.

We may share your information with a number of other organisations as part of the licensing process such as the Police, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Home Office and the Department for Work and Pensions, to aid with the detection and prevention of crime. If you have any questions about how these organisations use your data, please contact the Data Protection Officer (see below).

We may also share your information with other local authorities who have signed up to the Kent & Medway Information Sharing Agreement. This allows for early intervention and preventative work, for safeguarding and promoting welfare and for wider public protection. The agreement upholds the protection of personal information under the General Data Protection Regulation and the UK Data Protection Act 2018.

Our software providers will also store your information, but only on our instructions. They won’t use it for any other reasons, and they have to look after it in the same way we would. View the Idox (for PublicAccess) privacy statement and the ClassMarker privacy statement.


What we do with your information

We use it to process your application for a licence under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the Licensing Act (2003). We won't use it for any other purposes without your consent, or without telling you first.

Sometimes we have to provide it to other authorities, organisations or people. This would be for the prevention or detection of crime,or because of legal matters. We don't need your consent to do this, but if we can, we'll let you know if we've passed your information on.
 

How long we hold your information

We keep your information only for as long as we need it. Once we no longer need it, we will keep it for a set period (a retention period) but not use it. When the retention period expires, we will delete your information from our records.
 

Access information we hold about you, further information on privacy rights or raise a concern

In all cases your Personal Data will be processed in accordance with this statement and with Sevenoaks District Council’s Privacy Notice, which also provides more information as to your Data Protection Rights.

You can access the information we hold about you at any time. If you would like to do this, have any queries or questions, or want to raise a concern about the way in which we are using your personal information, please contact the Licensing Partnership. You may also contact the Data Protection Officer at data.protection@sevenoaks.gov.uk or write to: The Data Protection Officer, Sevenoaks District Council, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1HG.
 

Secure storage, handling, use, retention and disposal of Disclosures and Disclosure Information policy

General principles

As we use the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to help assess the suitability of applicants for positions of trust, we comply fully with the code of practice regarding the correct handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of disclosures and disclosure information. We also comply fully with our obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legislation pertaining to the safe handling, use, storage, retention and disposal of disclosure information. Each authority within the Licensing Partnership has a written policy on these matters, which is available to those who wish to see it on request.


Storage and access

Disclosure information should be kept securely, in lockable, non-portable, storage containers with access strictly controlled and limited to those who are entitled to see it as part of their duties.


Handling

In accordance with section 124 of the Police Act 1997, disclosure information is only passed to those who are authorised to receive it in the course of their duties. We maintain a record of all those to whom disclosures or disclosure information has been revealed and it is a criminal offence to pass this information to anyone who is not entitled to receive it.


Usage

Disclosure information is only used for the specific purpose for which it was requested. The processing of disclosure information by the Licensing Partnership is necessary for carrying out a public function set out in law i.e. provision of taxi and private hire vehicle licenses under the under the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the Licensing Act (2003). 


Retention

Once a decision has been made, we do not keep disclosure information for any longer than is necessary. This retention will allow for the consideration and resolution of any disputes or complaints, or be for the purpose of completing safeguarding audits. Throughout this time, the usual conditions regarding the safe storage and strictly controlled access will prevail.


Disposal

Once the retention period has elapsed, we will ensure that any DBS disclosure information is immediately destroyed by secure means, for example, by shredding, pulping or burning. While awaiting destruction, disclosure information will not be kept in any insecure receptacle (e.g. waste bin or confidential waste sack). We will not keep any photocopy or other image of the disclosure or any copy or representation of the contents of a disclosure. However, not withstanding the above, we may keep a record of the date of issue of a disclosure, the name of the subject, the type of disclosure requested, the position for which the disclosure was requested, the unique reference number of the disclosure and the details of the decision taken.


Acting as an umbrella body

Before acting as an umbrella body (an umbrella body being a registered body which countersigns applications and receives disclosure information on behalf of other employers or recruiting organisations), we will take all reasonable steps to satisfy ourselves that an organisation will handle, use, store, retain and dispose of disclosure information in full compliance with the code of practice and in full accordance with this policy.