Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has identified a data breach affecting a limited number of individuals' personal data.
On Monday evening, 27 July, an email was sent to electors who had provided email addresses to the Council's Elections team. The email invited them to check information held for their property and confirm or update those details as part of the annual electoral register canvass.
What information was exposed?
Due to an administrative error, the email contained a link that revealed the recipient's forename, surname, email address, and a household-specific unique code.
The Council stated that the unique code alone cannot be used to access electoral registration information, as additional information is required to activate and use the service.
Council action taken
As soon as the issue was identified, Council officers took immediate action to investigate the cause and disable access to the affected link. Those impacted by the data breach have been contacted.
The incident was reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at the earliest opportunity, and appropriate steps have been taken in line with the advice received.
A review is now underway to understand how the error occurred and identify additional safeguards to prevent a similar incident happening again.
Statement from Council leadership
Tom Shardlow, Chief Executive at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said: "The Council is required to update the electoral register periodically, and it is clear that, on this occasion, an unfortunate human error occurred during that process."
Shardlow added: "I am disappointed that this error has happened and would like to offer my sincere apologies to those residents who have been affected and may be concerned by this incident. I am confident that this is an isolated incident."
He continued: "The Council takes its responsibilities for protecting personal information extremely seriously. We are committed to treating residents' data with the utmost care and respect at all times."
Contact and support
Residents with any concerns or questions should contact the Data Protection Officer by email at [email protected].