Council fined for leaving sensitive files in cabinet sent to second hand shop

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined Norfolk County Council £60,000 after files that included sensitive information about children were left in a cabinet sent to a second hand shop.

The breach came to light after social work case files were discovered in the cabinet after it was purchased from the shop by a member of the public. The case files included information relating to seven children.

Steve Eckersley, ICO Head of Enforcement, said: “The council had disposed of some furniture as part of an office move but had failed to ensure that the cabinets were empty before disposal.

“Councils have a duty to look after any personal information they hold, all the more so when highly sensitive information is concerned – in particular about adults and children in vulnerable circumstances.

“For no good reason Norfolk County Council appears to have overlooked the need to ensure it had robust measures in place to protect this information. It should have had a written procedure in place which made it clear that any storage items removed from the office which may have contained personal were thoroughly checked before disposal.”