September 12, 2016

Hampshire County Council has been hit with a £100,000 fine by the ICO after documents containing personal details of over 100 people were found in a disused building.

Social care files, along with 45 bags of confidential waste, were found at Town End House, in Havant. They contained highly sensitive information about adults and children in vulnerable circumstances.

The documents were discovered by the new owners of the building when it was purchased in August 2014.

The ICO investigation found that the council had failed to follow the law which says that organisations, be they businesses or public authorities, must have technical and organisational measures in place to guard against accidental loss or destruction of personal data.

The new owners bought Town End House after Hampshire County Council’s Adults and Children’s Services department left the building, meaning there was two years when agents selling the property and prospective buyers had access to it.

Steve Eckersley, ICO head of enforcement, said: “The council knew the building had housed a department that dealt with confidential information and should have had a proper procedure in place to check no personal data was left in the building. Organisations must implement effective contingency plans to protect personal data when decommissioning buildings.  The council’s failure to look after this information was irresponsible.  It not only broke the law but put vulnerable people at risk”.  To read the ICO’s press release in full and for a link to the monetary penalty notice, click here.