Gateshead Council facing 'serious issues' says report

In two cases paperwork was accidentally left behind by council officers

A report about a council's overall performance has raised concerns, including on data protection and housing repairs.

Reported breaches in data protection at Gateshead Council rose from 66 last year to 123 so far in 2023.

The local authority has also seen a growing number of relatively well-off households unable to pay council tax.

Gateshead Council said it had nothing further to add to the information included in the report.

With regards to complaints, the council has had to spend £14,117 this year to remedy 20 reviews conducted by the chief executive, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Meanwhile, data breaches included the sharing of "sensitive data" as a result of email-addressing errors and two cases of paperwork being accidentally left behind by council officers. However, the authority has attributed the increase in reported breaches to improved training and better awareness of the issue among staff.

The report suggests that as the cost of living crisis continues, households in the council tax bands B, C, D, and E are feeling the pinch.

Figures suggest there are 8,329 Gateshead households in council tax arrears

The authority has also noted a dramatic increase in the number of calls it is receiving from council tenants and others. There have been an additional 2,500 calls made to the council this year, ranging from housing-repair complaints to benefit-assistance requests.

The length of the calls has also increased, with some taking 90 seconds longer than in previous years. However, it is hoped that in future more people will go online, following a redesign of the authority's website.