VALE of Glamorgan Council paid an eye-watering £95k in compensation for data breach claims since 2021 amid a ‘worrying’ rise in both cyber and non-cyber security attacks across the UK.
An investigation by DataBreachClaims.org.uk has revealed a stark increase both in terms of human error and cyber-attacks across UK councils.
Data obtained from a series of Freedom of Information Requests to every UK council has revealed that Vale Council has reported some of the highest figures of any council in the country, and figures which are far and above any other Welsh council.
The breach comes as it was revealed council officials underestimated how much it would cost to install new IT software by more than £3m.
The council confirmed a total of 171 data breach incidents since 2021, with figures rising year on year.
A total of 30 incidents were recorded in 2021, increasing to 55 the following year.
A further 86 data breach incidents were logged by the council between 2023/24 - an increase of 187 per cent in just three years.
The council confirmed they paid out a staggering £95,200 in data breach compensation claims in the last three years.
Between 2021/22, the council paid £2,000 followed by a hefty £14,000 the year after.
The amount skyrocketed between 2023/2024, with the local authority paying out £79,200.
Personal data breaches are defined as “any breach of security leading to the accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure of, or access to, personal data.”
On the breaches, expert Eleanor Coleman said: “We have noticed an increase in data breaches generally over the last year, both in terms of human error and cyber-attacks.
“We understand that this is worrying and hope that organisations are ensuring that they have sufficient security in place to protect people’s personal information.”
DataBreachClaims.org.uk also asked the council how many cyber-attacks it had within the same time period, but they denied the request on the grounds that divulging the information could potentially jeopardise future cyber security.
What the council did reply was an explanation about how they are trying to tackle the breaches.
A spokesperson for the Vale Council said: "An effective internal communications campaign was run in 2023 to ensure staff were reminded of their data security responsibilities and to continue to foster an internal culture of openness in reporting any potential incidents.
“Our reported figures include near misses and low-level breaches that other organisations may not act upon.
“We, however, feel that it is important that we have an accurate assessment of data security in the organisation and are able to learn from all incidents to better protect citizens personal information in the long-term."
DataBreachClaims.org.uk has a team of experts on hand to offer free guidance and advice for anyone with concerns following a data breach.
They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.
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