South Gloucestershire Council leaks personal data of 625 residents due to publishing error
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South Gloucestershire Council is reporting a data breach that exposed the personal information of 625 residents who participated in a public consultation process.
The incident occurred in late October 2025 and was caused by a a procedural failure when council staff published consultation documents containing personal data that should have been redacted before publication. The sensitive information remained publicly accessible on the council's consultation website for three days before the error was discovered and corrected
The exposed data includes:
- Full names of consultation respondents
- Residential addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Email addresses
- Affiliation with representative organizations or groups
The incident was reported to thew Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Representative of the South Gloucestershire Council offered his "unreserved apologies" to all affected individuals. The preliminary evaluation indicated a "low risk" to affected individuals, likely because of the limited sensitivity of the exposed information types and the brief exposure period.
