Colchester City Council is taking swift and decisive action in response to the unsafe storage of personal data by its financial services contractor, Capita.
The serious data breach has prompted the council to express its extreme disappointment with Capita, as it works with the company to understand the full extent of the data spill and take all necessary steps to minimise any impact on residents.
It is understood that the data breach, which has affected several other local authorities around the country, relates to historic data – the full extent of which is being investigated – but it is understood that the information has now been secured.
The council is committed to ensuring Capita works with us to fully understand the cause of the data breach and to implement measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future. The council has already notified the Information Commissioner’s Office, while it awaits further details from Capita, and will continue to provide all necessary information as the investigation progresses.
Richard Block, Colchester City Council’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “The council is extremely disappointed that such a serious and widespread data breach has occurred and is robustly addressing the matter with Capita. I want to reassure all residents that we are taking steps with Capita to fully understand how they have caused this data breach as well as any further action required.
“We understand that this issue will cause concern among residents and apologise to those affected on behalf of Capita. Our top priority is to safeguard the privacy and security of our residents' personal information, and we are taking swift and decisive action to investigate the situation and ensure Capita's processes are improved to avoid any future breaches.”
Any resident who is concerned about their personal data is advised to check for further updates on the council’s website at www.colchester.gov.uk
Page last reviewed: 12 May 2023