Taxi licensing service privacy notice

Taxi Licensing Service forms part of Milton Keynes Council.  This Privacy Notice sets out how we deal with your personal information within this Service. It links in with the Council’s Corporate Privacy Notice so therefore should be read alongside it.  For more details about our Corporate Privacy Notice, please visit www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/privacy

Who we are

The Taxi Licensing Service is responsible for regulating those who choose to hold licences to operate a business of working as a private hire or hackney carriage driver, vehicle proprietor or operator in Milton Keynes. We are also responsible for protecting the public by carrying out enforcement work and investigating complaints.

Everything we do with information about people, such as how we collect it and who we share it with, has to comply with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force in May 2018. A key part of this is being open about what personal information we hold about you, how we use it, who we share it with, how long we keep it for, etc. You also need to know what rights you have in this respect.

What information do we hold

Most of the information we hold starts as a result of:

  • An individual directly contacting us wanting to use one of our services
  • Another organisation, such as the Police, operator or insurance company making a referral to us, generally on the individual’s behalf and with their knowledge

We also sometimes hold some information about individuals that other organisations are required to provide to us.  This may include organisations like the police etc. They will have their own Privacy Notices that explain what information they collect, why and who they share it with.

Personal information that we might hold within the Taxi Licensing Service includes the likes of name, address, phone number, email address, etc. We might also hold sensitive personal data (referred to as Special Categories of data under GDPR) including criminal record, driving record, disabilities, medical conditions, etc.

Why do we have it and what do we use it for

We have a statutory duty to provide the above services under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and associated regulations and amended legislation. To deliver these we need to collect and use personal information of those using or affected by these services.

If you access our services then the requirement mentioned above will be our lawful basis for collecting and using your personal data, as we can’t provide you with the service without it.

Whenever we use information, we always limit this to only the details that are needed and we ensure that it is used safely and securely. We require anyone we share information with, or who uses it on our behalf, to do so too. All our staff receive training on data protection and information security.

All of the personal information we hold is kept securely on our Council servers. There is no automatic decision-taking when your personal information is processed as part of an application, except for in the limited instance where you apply online and do not meet a statutory requirement (i.e. you state that you have not been licensed to drive a vehicle for 12 months or more, or that you do not have the appropriate right to work in the UK).  In such instance your application will be refused and you will be given the relevant contact details should you wish to discuss this.

Who we share information with and why

We share information with a range of different types of people and organisations depending on the service being provided or the statutory requirement that we have to comply with.  The types of recipients include:

  • Local government organisations
  • Central government departments
  • Law enforcement agencies, such as Thames Valley Police
  • Examining bodies
  • Regulatory bodies, investigators and ombudsmen (for example Ofsted, CQC, Local Govt Ombudsman)
  • Courts, tribunals and prisons
  • Legal representatives
  • Fraud prevention agencies
  • Press and the media
  • Councillors and political parties when part of consultations or committee reports
  • National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals and Revocations (NR3)

The licensing authority provides information to the National Register of Taxi Licence Refusals and Revocations (NR3), a mechanism for licensing authorities to share details of individuals who have had a licence to drive hackney carriage or private hire vehicles revoked, or an application for one refused.

This is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest in assessing whether an individual is a fit and proper person to hold a hackney carriage or PHV licence.

Where a licence is revoked, or an application for one refused, the authority will record this decision on NR3.  All applications for a new licence or licence renewal will automatically be checked on NR3. If a search of NR3 indicates a match with an applicant, the authority will seek further information about the entry on the register from the authority that recorded it.

Any information received as a result of an NR3 search will be used in respect of the specific license application and will not be retained beyond the determination of that application.

The information recorded on NR3 itself will be limited to:

  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Address and contact details
  • National insurance number
  • Driving licence number
  • Decision taken
  • Date of decision
  • Date decision effective

How long we keep hold of information for

We only keep information for as long as it is needed.  This will differ according to what information we hold and its purpose.  It will be based on either a legal requirement (where a law says we have to keep information for a specific period of time) or accepted business practice. Within our Service, we keep the following information for the following periods:

  • Information submitted as part of an application - 6 years after the date in which the application is refused
  • Information held in respect of a licence - 6 years after the date from which the licence ceases to be held
  • Information received as part of an enforcement investigation – for a minimum of 6 years and then for only so long as may be necessary to inform a decision to protect the public
  • Information held on the NR3 database will be held for a period of 25 years

What rights you have

You have various rights around the data we hold about you. More information on these can be found on our Corporate Privacy Notice at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/privacy

If you would like any further information about how your personal information is used within the Taxi Licensing Service, then please contact:

Email: taxi@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Telephone: 01908 252860

Post: Milton Keynes Council, Synergy Park, Chesney Wold, Bleak Hall, Milton Keynes, MK6 1LY

If you wish to access a copy of your personal information, or are unhappy with any aspect of how your information has been collected and/or used, you can make a complaint to the corporate Data Protection Officer.

Data Protection Officer contact details

Email: data.protection@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Telelphone: 01908 254900

Post: Data Protection, Milton Keynes Council, 1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3HS