E-Citizen
Frequently Asked Questions
Following the introduction of this new service, we have received
a number of enquiries for further information or answers to
questions. The most frequently asked questions and their
answers are as follows.
A. E Citizen is a way that our customers can
get information about their personal accounts with the
council. Initially, only information about Housing Benefits;
Council Tax and Council Tax Benefit and Non Domestic (or Business)
Rates, will be available, but further services will be added once
their IT systems are capable of being accessed through E Citizen.
You will be able to see details of your Council Tax or Non-Domestic
(Business) Rate accounts or view how your claim for Housing and /
or Council Tax Benefit is calculated.
A. No – E Citizen is completely free to any of
our customers that want to use it.
A. Through the council’s website http://www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk/ecitizen/ .
Any Housing Benefit recipient, Council Taxpayer and Non-Domestic
(or Business) Ratepayer that has access to the internet will be
able to obtain information about their accounts directly through
the internet. Facilities will also be made available in council
offices for those who may not have such access. Further services
will be made available once their IT systems are capable of being
accessed through E Citizen.
Q. How does E Citizen
work?
A. E citizen works by giving our
customer’s access to their accounts with the council. Every Housing
Benefit recipient, Council Taxpayer and Non-Domestic (or Business)
Ratepayer that advises the council that they wish to use this
facility will be allocated their own, private and confidential PIN
number for each system they wish to have access to. Once we receive
a request, we will then send the customer their PIN number to the
address shown on their account and advise them how they can
REGISTER themselves onto the council’s system.
Q. How can I register to use E
Citizen?
A. Tell us you want to use the service by
either telephoning the number shown on your bill or housing /
council tax benefit notification, or emailing us at customercare@maidstone.gov.uk
We will then send you a letter confirming what you need to do. You
will not be able to register to use E citizen without our advising
you of a PIN number that is required to gain access to the
system.
The letter we send you will then give you all the details you
require to register with this service.
Q. I have forgotten or lost my PIN number. How can
I get a new one?
A. In the event that you have already
requested a PIN and have forgotten or lost it, simply write to or
email customercare@maidstone.gov.uk
and a replacement will be sent to you at the address shown on your
account.
Q. I have Registered but have forgotten JUST
my Password. How can I now get access to the
system?
A. In the event that
you have forgotten just your password, email
ecitizen@maidstone.gov.uk with your User Name and the system
password will be reset to allow you to start again. You will be
given a new password that you will need to use to log in with. You
should then immediately change that password to something only you
will know. You do this by selecting the My Profile link on the E
citizen page which will take you to the Change password link and
you then change your password. If you have forgotten your
User name as well, please see the next question that deals with
this scenario.
Q. I have Registered but have forgotten my User
Name (or both my User name AND Password). How can I now get access
to the system?
A. In the event that you have forgotten
your User Name / User Name AND password, email
ecitizen@maidstone.gov.uk with your full name, address and what
system you were logged in to. We will then try to find your details
on the system. If we can find you, your password will be reset and
you will be advised of your User Name and new password. You should
then log in as normal, but then immediately change the password to
something only you will know. You do this by selecting the My
Profile link on the E citizen page which will take you to the
Change password link and you then change your password. If we
cannot find you, we will confirm what you will need to do to
Re-register.
Q. I have Registered but now want to
change my User Name and / or Password. How do I do
this?
A. In the event that you wish to
amend your user name or password, log into the system and
select the option called "My
Profile". Then, simply amend the details you wish to
amend.
Q. How secure is E
Citizen?
A. Access through the E citizen
module will be very strictly controlled. Only those persons who
have valid account or benefit reference numbers and who have gone
through the registration process can gain access to their private
details. Providing the customer does not disclose their USER NAME
and PASSWORD to any one else, no other party can get their details.
Similarly, your user name and password will only get you access to
your own, personal registered details.
Q. Who is responsible for any
loss through E Citizen?
A. It is not expected that there will be
any, as our current proposals will only allow access to view data,
not to update the records. However, should this change, e.g. if our
customers are allowed to update their records (e.g. their bank
details in the event of a change of banks) and any loss be
experienced, then responsibility will depend upon what
the loss is and how it occurred.
This council will take full responsibility for the
security of the data and access to the system. The council cannot,
however, take responsibility for any losses incurred as a result of
bad practice or disclosure by the customer themselves. Each person
is responsible for the security of their own user name and
password.
Q. Who should I contact if I have
any trouble using E Citizen?
A. There are a number of ways to get advice
about E Citizen:
Please visit contact us for
information on telephone numbers and addresses.
You can “Log on”. More information about E
Citizen will also be found on the council's web site at
http://www.digitalmaidstone.co.uk/ecitizen/.
A list of frequently asked questions and the answers will
also be available there.