Southend Council avoids six-figure fine after data breach

A city council has escaped a possible six-figure fine after a data leak that made the personal data of 2,000 employees and councilors public.

Southend-on-Sea Council came forward to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after a spreadsheet including the details was included in a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request in May.

The council could have been fined a six-figure sum for the breach, but was ordered by the ICO to ensure staff received additional training to prevent future breaches, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

In a report on his sentencing, the ICO states: “The list of employees and former employees contained a significant amount of personal information.”