Of course, the effect of the earlier Poll Tax, which was on an individual
basis, was that electors stopped registering to vote - because the electoral
register was used for the purpose of identifying people who were eligible
for the tax.
The knock-on effect was that the Electoral Register became seriously
under-representative.
Nick Landau
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Turner" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: [data-protection] Change of Address - Council Tax
>A statutory instrument issued under the Representation of the People's Act
> gives Electoral Registration Officers the right to inspect and copy
> information that was originally collected for Council Tax purposes.
> Therefore, if the Electoral Registration Officer comes knocking, they are
> entitled to see the information they need to keep the Register accurate.
> So,
> as long as the Council tax staff give fair processing notices with the
> bill
> - i.e. that information supplied to Council Tax may be available to the
> ERO
> to ensure that the register is accurate - the ERO can inspect the data.
>
> Now, is it therefore possible for Council Tax, when they get a change of
> address, to tell the ERO that now would be a good time to exercise their
> powers in respect of a particular address? Or, is it possible for CTax to
> give the changes of address over proactively, given that the ERO has the
> power to inspect and copy the information if they wish?
>
> Tim Turner
> Data Protection / FOI Officer
> Legal and Property Services
> Wigan Council
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Doug Colyer [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Mon 14 August 2006 17:00
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [data-protection] Change of Address - Council Tax
>
> Because of the problems related to the accuracy of the Electoral Register
> in
> past elections I have been instructed to determine how accurate the
> Register
> is for my particular constituency. Having canvassed a number of electors I
> have been taken to task by many who believe that having told the Council
> Tax
> Office, the information is therefore held by the Council, and any failure
> to
> inform the Electoral Registration Officer is due to ineptitude and
> inefficiency on the part of the Council. It has proved difficult to
> convince
> the more vociferous the Council Tax regulations and Data Protection make
> such an action ultra vires.
>
> The Information Commissioner's Office is also adamant that providing
> changes
> of address is a `no no`, as is making reference to the dissemination of
> such
> information on the Council Tax bills. It is impossible to see how actual
> consent can be obtained when the Council Tax payer receives a bill and
> does
> not sign anything at that stage.
>
> I pointed out to the ICO that One Stop Shops disseminate such information
> to
> Council Tax, Housing Benefit and Electoral Registration, with great
> satisfaction from the public, whereas those who tell the Council Tax
> office
> think they are telling all parts of the Council when in fact they are not
> It is also difficult to convince the public that a change of address
> freely
> given to the Council Tax Office is of such a personal nature that it
> cannot
> be passed on to the Electoral Registration Officer. And as a Presiding
> Officer at elections I have been on the receiving end of electors who are
> furious at not being on the Register, and who have "told the Council".
>
> Do my colleagues have similar views or am I being too naive to think the
> public understand the difference?
>
> If there are such similar views is there any way that the, I believe,
> common-sense approach can be taken?
>
> Are there any authorities who have addressed the issue and come up with a
> suitable solution?
>
> Doug
>
>
> Douglas Colyer
> Senior Auditor
> Internal Audit Services
> Suffolk Coastal District Council
> (01394 444248)
>
>
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