Herts County Council will tell you that your data about you is safe with them.

But how safe is it really?

Lib Dem County Councillor Paul Zukowskyj (Hatfield South),shadow cabinet member for Corporate Issues, has raised serious questions at the HCC’s audit Committee after an alarming discovery.

Papers found by Paul blowing down an A road outside a recently closed depot for Adult Care Services raised serious questions as to how well the council is protecting people’s private information, especially in relation to medical information and health issues.

Paul commented “The material left behind by HCC when this depot closed, and which is now littering the verges of Hatfield, include compliments slips, blank care assessment forms, handwritten notes by council staff and all manner of other documents. I’ve not found any highly confidential information yet, but I’ve not tried that hard. It wouldn’t surprise me to find it’s there.

“HCC claim that our information is safe, but leaving compliments slips and other logo’d materials is highly dangerous as in the wrong hands they could be used by fraudsters or others to trick innocent people into giving them information.

“HCC need to remember that sensitive information held by the authority MUST be managed and dealt with appropriately, leaving potentially sensitive documents to be read by the new property owners or to blow across public roads simply isn’t on.”