FAQ

Flues must be at least one metre above the highest part of the nearby buildings. In many circumstances it will need to be significantly higher.

The appropriate stack height should be determined using dispersion modelling, and not only by using the Memorandum on Chimney Heights or the Technical Guidance Note (Dispersion) (known as a D1 calculation). These are not suitable when considering annual mean NO2 concentrations.

Flues should not be ‘hidden’ behind structures likely to affect the spread of emissions. 

Emissions from poorly designed and installed kitchen exhausts can lead to nuisance complaints. This can happen more in urban areas where housing may be next to or above the catering premises.

This can include pubs, clubs, restaurants and takeaways that may be open until the early hours of the morning.

Cooking processes used in commercial kitchens can produce a lot of pollutants. This can have grease particulates and vapours, smoke, odour and particulate matter. A good kitchen extraction system is the best way to minimise any negative effects on residents and the environment.

Read the council’s advice note for new ventilation systems. It gives useful information on the minimum requirements for a new kitchen extraction system.

The Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) sets out what the council expects from developers and those involved in construction activities in the borough.

Find out more about our Code of Construction Practice.

Data controller and purpose

This privacy notice applies to you and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (“the council”). The council takes the privacy of your information very seriously.

This privacy notice applies to the council’s use of the data provided by you or collected by the council in relation to your claim for Benefits and use of our service.

It is important that you understand that sometimes we will need to share your data with other organisations and agencies where necessary.

The information you provide to us as part of your claim for benefit will be used by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ Benefit Service, to process:

• Housing benefit
• Council tax reduction/benefit
• Council tax hardship discounts
• Free school meals
• School clothing grant
• Crisis and Resilience Fund
• Tower Hamlets and Canary Wharf Trust applications.

We process your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and if you have any concerns the council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted on DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

We may verify the information you have provided with other sources as allowed by the law. This includes information about other people who live in your household.

Condition for processing personal data

The council has a statutory duty to process your personal data in relation to your claim for benefit. The type of information we collect is:

• personal, family and household details,
• ID and supporting evidence, including NINO
• accommodation details
• financial details including income and savings
• employment and education details
• contact details and electronic means of communication details.

We have a responsibility to process this information under the provisions of:

• Local Government Finance Act 1992
• The Social Security Contributions & Benefits Act 1992
• The Housing Benefit Regulations 2006.

 Article 6 of GDPR allows for processing this data.

Article 6 DPR Lawfulness of processing

1. Processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:
   (a) the data subject has given consent to the processing of his or her personal data for one or more specific purposes
   (b) Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject
   (c) processing is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person
   (d) processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

Any delay in you providing the information requested may result in a delay in providing appropriate services.

In some circumstances, to help in processing your claim the council will also collect your contact details such as telephone numbers and email address. This is used for the collection and verification of information.

How long do we keep your information?

We will only hold your information for as long as is required by law and to provide you with the necessary services. This is likely to be for 7 years after the case is closed.

For further details, you can view our retention policy.

We may also anonymise some personal data you provide to us to ensure that you cannot be identified and use this for statistical analysis of data to allow the council to effectively target and plan the provision of services.

Information sharing

Your personal information may be shared with internal departments or with external partners and agencies involved in delivering services on our behalf. As stated above this will include:

• HMRC
• Valuation Office Agency
• Organisation identifying and preventing fraud
• Council Tax department
• Department for Work and Pensions
• Schools and colleges and the Student Loan Company
• electoral registration
• your landlord (although we will seek your explicit permission to do this)
• other local authorities.

For certain activities we may also use intermediaries to help in the delivery of our service to you.

The council has a duty to protect public funds and may use personal information and data-matching techniques to detect and prevent fraud, and ensure public money is targeted and spent in the most appropriate and cost-effective way.

Information may be shared with internal services and external bodies like the Audit Commission, Department for Work and Pensions, other local authorities, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Police. This activity is carried out under Article 9(2)(b) of the GDPR, under social protection law.

We have a duty to improve the health of the population we serve. To help with this, we use data and information from a range of sources including hospitals to understand more about the nature and causes of disease and ill-health in the area.

This data would normally be anonymised and never used to make decisions on a specific individual or family.

Your rights

We process your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and if you have any concerns the council’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted on DPO@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

If you are unsatisfied with our response you have a right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). You can report a concern by visiting the ICO website.