At their meeting on 7 November 2025 the two remaining parish councillors and the three temporary councillors discussed a complaint from a member of the public. The complainant was former council chairman Victor Lambert who felt a letter he had received from Cllr Gough at the end of October was inappropriate.
Although the matter was discussed after the public had been asked to leave, I have been given permission by Mr Lambert to publish the letter he received from Cllr David Gough at the end of October.
I am publishing this letter to give residents an insight into what one councillor is doing on your behalf.
You can judge for yourself whether you consider the tone to be warm and friendly towards a former fellow councillor or intimidating and threatening.
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Formal Notice Regarding Data Breach and
Return of Council Property
On behalf of Shiptonthorpe Parish Council
Good morning, Victor,
Re: Data Breach and Return of Parish Council Equipment
At the Parish Council meeting held on 28 October, it was unanimously agreed that the Information Commissioner must be notified about the recent data breach. We have duly made this notification, while making clear our intention to resolve the matter within five days to prevent any further escalation.
We sincerely hope that this letter will facilitate that objective.
Outstanding Council Equipment
It has come to our attention that you are currently in possession of multiple items of Parish Council equipment. We must stress the urgent need for these to be returned, with particular emphasis on the laptop and backup drive.
Following your resignation effective 16 October, you are no longer covered by the council’s data licence. Retaining the laptop under these circumstances is a matter of serious concern. The laptop remains the property of the council and must be returned immediately, no later than five days from receipt of this notice· The device contains council data, which may include personal data protected under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, in addition to records related to the parish charity. We require written confirmation from you regarding the condition of the device, and a statement on whether any data has been accessed, copied, transferred or deleted. If so, please specify to whom, for what purpose, and the relevant dates. Kindly submit this information to Councillor E Bowron.
Arrangements for Return
To ensure the secure and prompt return of council property, the council has resolved that Mr Edward Bowron of Shiptonthorpe Parish Council, or Ward Councillor Mr Paul West, will arrange collection on our behalf. Both individuals have been duly authorised for this purpose. They will bring with them a laptop case featuring a zipper and a security tag. The laptop, along with its power supply, should be securely sealed within this case.
We ask that you send the username and password necessary to access the computer to Cllr E Bowron by email and also provide a printed copy with the laptop. Once the device is sealed, the case will be returned to Shiptonthorpe Parish Council. We hope that these arrangements will mitigate the need for any further action by the council or authorities to recover the council’s equipment.
Conclusion
Victor, we trust you will view this letter as a genuine attempt to resolve these matters amicably and to prevent any unnecessary escalation.
Yours sincerely.
Cllr D Gough
October 30th, 2025
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The laptop was returned as requested.
It sounds like a letter from a solicitor when perhaps all that was needed was just a short note asking Mr Lambert if he could simply return the laptop.
Given the tone it’s perhaps not surprising why some residents are wary about saying anything that might upset Cllr Gough.
The council minutes record that:
“Having considered the requirements of the information commissioner it was felt the letter was entirely appropriate as they (the council) had been placed in a position not of their own making. The matter has been reported to the information commissioner and further actions will be required”.
At the time of posting Victor Lambert has not received a reply to his complaint.
So far as we know Cllr Gough still wants to forensically recover data from the laptop in question.
As the former vice chair said in November “Being a Parish Councillor need not be this hard”.
You can now share this information via social media, e mail or print.