ICO approves council tax data share

And issues disclosure 'guidance'

The Information Commissioner's Office has given a green light to councils sharing council tax information.

Launching new guidance named The use of personal information held for collecting and administrating council tax yesterday, the ICO said: "Council tax information, such as residents' names and addresses collected by councils, can be used for other purposes."

The guidance outlines how this information can be used in line with the Data Protection Act. It includes making sure councils, which may use the information to populate a customer relationship management database, consider a number of questions. These include whether the information would be adequately protected from improper use or disclosure.

Individuals must also be told exactly how the authority will use their personal information.

ICO head of information sharing Iain Bourne said: "We have advised a large number of local authorities about the use of council tax information. This clear guidance will help local authorities to make the best use of the information they hold while protecting the people the information is about."

The guidance was launched to coincide with the European Data Protection Day.

This article was originally published at Kablenet.

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