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Wirral Council recorded 158 data breach incidents in the year to the end of August, two of them rated high severity, according to a report going to councillors tomorrow (Tuesday, 27 October).
The report will go to the council in their scheduled meeting tomorrow, which begins at 6 pm.
The figures are in the council's annual Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) report, which covers 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026 and goes to the Audit and Risk Management Committee.
Of the 158 incidents, two were classed as high severity, 68 as medium and 88 as low.
By department, the figures were:
- Children, Families and Education: 69 (33 medium, 36 low)
- Adult Care and Health: 33 (14 medium, 19 low)
- Law and Corporate Services: 23 (one high, 11 medium, 11 low)
- Finance: 13 (four medium, nine low)
- Neighbourhoods: 11 (one high, three medium, seven low)
- Regeneration and Place: nine (three medium, six low)
The report does not describe what happened in the two high-severity cases.
It says every breach is reviewed at a weekly meeting and referred to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if it meets the threshold for reporting. Common follow-up actions include escalation to a senior manager, changes to procedures or refresher training for staff.
The council received 1,362 Freedom of Information and environmental information requests between August 2025 and July 2026 and answered 85% on time.
The report says the use of artificial intelligence by many requesters has made requests more complicated and contributed to more requests for internal reviews.
There were 99 internal reviews, and five complaints went to the ICO. One, involving the Regeneration and Place department, was upheld.
Cyber security remains one of the council's highest-ranked risks, the report says. A dedicated security operations centre is now running and the council is working towards Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
An audit of the council's use of AI was rated "Reasonable". Its two top-priority recommendations were a central list of AI tools in use, including undeclared "shadow AI", and a formal process for managing AI risks.
The report says it supports the council's draft Wirral Plan 2027-31.
Councillors are recommended to note the report when the committee meets at 6pm tomorrow. The agenda and reports are on the council's website.
