LESS than a quarter of councillors at Lichfield District Council have opted to take training on appropriate handling of data, a report has revealed.
The local authority’s annual report of its Data Protection Officer said that the optional GDPR training had been taken by just 23% of elected members.
It also revealed that only 17% had taken cybersecurity training.
While council staff are required to take the mandatory courses or face being “locked out of systems”, councillors have the choice whether or not to take them.
Of the staff at the local authority, 84% have completed GDPR training while 88% are up to date with their cybersecurity learning.
The report added:
“Training is delivered through the online learning hub made available to all staff.
“It is mandatory that all staff complete GDPR and cybersecurity training on an annual basis. These courses are optional for councillors.
“The figure [for staff] is in constant change as people leave and new starters join.
“Staff are given a deadline to complete the course. If not they are locked out of Lichfield District Council systems until they have completed it.
“During the start of 2024, we undertook council-wide communications and messaging to reiterate the importance of undertaking this training and outlining the implications if they didn’t complete the training.”
The report will be discussed at a meeting of the audit committee on 18th September.
