Oxfordshire County Council has paid out £95,350 in compensation for data breach claims since 2021 amid a "worrying" rise in security attacks.

It reported the second-highest figure of all county councils in the UK according to new Freedom of Information (FOI) data which revealed a stark increase in attacks across councils nationally.

The figures showed Oxfordshire County Council confirmed a total of 1,709 personal data breach incidents since 2021.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift 'books £3.3m Oxfordshire cottage' for UK leg of tour 

A total of 506 incidents were recorded between 2021 and 2022, followed by another 487 breaches the following year.

So far, between the end of 2023 and March 2024, 229 incidents have been logged.

Councils are expected to collect, store, use, share and dispose of personal information or data about individuals, in line with General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act.

According to the Information Commissioner’s Office, cyber attacks on local authority systems have increased by 24 per cent between 2022 and 2023.

READ MORE: Parents ‘angered and misled’ after school 'masked' Rishi Sunak visit

Oxfordshire County Council confirmed that none of the incidents were cyber attacks. Oxfordshire County Council confirmed that none of the incidents were cyber attacks.

Personal data breaches reported by Local Governments, it confirms, have skyrocketed by 58 per cent in the same time period.

Security breaches have the potential to put thousands of people’s personal details at risk, potentially harming victims psychologically as well as financially.

READ MORE: Welcome Break staff told not to tell customers about cockroach infestation

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.”

READ MORE: Pedestrian hospitalised with broken skull after being hit by Ford Focus

Oxfordshire County Council was ranked second in the UK.Oxfordshire County Council was ranked second in the UK. (Image: DataBreachClaims.org.uk)

Oxfordshire Council confirmed that none of these incidents were cyber attacks.

However, the authority did confirm that a total of £95,350 has been paid out in compensation for data breach claims since 2021.

Between 2021 and 2022, Oxfordshire Council paid out £5,000 followed by £44,350 the following year.

The council paid a further £46,000 in compensation for data breach claims between 2023 and 2024.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire restaurant headed by celebrity chef named among UK’s best

READ MORE: Police stop man who 'tried to steal over £1,700 worth of goods’ from Tesco

County Hall on New Road, Oxford. (Image: Ed Nix.)

The Oxford Mail reached out to Oxfordshire County Council to comment on the issue which has seen almost £100,000 paid out in claims.

The question of whether this is going to have an impact on people's personal information was posed to the council.

A spokesperson for the council told us: “We take the matter of data management extremely seriously.

“This includes being rigorous about recording and investigating potential incidents.

READ MORE: Celebrity Oxford United fan makes special Soccer Aid appearance

There is a worrying rise in the attacks.There is a "worrying" rise in the attacks. (Image: Pexels)

“We are fastidious as an organisation about logging and investigating and learning from any incidents.

“There is nothing to suggest that there are more data breaches at Oxfordshire County Council than other councils.”

This comes just four months after an alleged confidential data breach at an Oxford school.

Bosses at the Oxford Academy in Littlemore reported the school to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) after a data breach which is believed to have allowed students to view other pupils’ personal information.

READ MORE: Woman arrested after dancefloor fight sees teen 'hit in face with glass'

An alleged data breach also occurred at an Oxford school this year.An alleged data breach also occurred at an Oxford school this year. (Image: PA)

The ICO examined the breach and decided to take no further action, according to a spokesman for the school's trust.

Data Breach expert Eleanor Coleman said: “This rise is worrying and we hope that organisations are ensuring that they have sufficient security in place to protect people’s personal information.”

Ms Coleman added: “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.

“In terms of compensation, this is dependent upon what has happened, the information which has been subject to the data breach and the distress it has caused.

“A lot of cases can be settled without the need to issue court proceedings, but if this is necessary, then we would advise clients accordingly.”

The FOI data was received by Data Breach Claims. 

Help support trusted local news

Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe/

As a digital subscriber you will get:

  • Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website        
  • Advert-light access             
  • Reader rewards             
  • Full access to our app