£53,000 worth of council's items lost

Laptops, plasma screens and industrial equipment belonging to Wolverhampton City Council have all been lost, stolen or misplaced, new figures reveal today.

At least £53,000 worth of goods have gone missing from the authority during the last three years.

But the real figure may be much higher after council officials admitted they did not keep a full inventory. Among the items stolen was a USB fob containing sensitive email and diary details.

Two waste compactors - each valued at £15,000 - were also taken in two separate incidents at Bilston Market, while a £200 digital camera, £500 wall plaque and even a step ladder were also swiped.

Today, Matthew Sinclair, research director at the TaxPayers' Alliance West Midlands branch, said the council must do more to protect its property.

He said: "It is outrageous that tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment, paid for by the public is being lost or stolen.

"Taxpayers will suspect officials involved might have been a bit more careful if it was their own equipment at risk.

"It is particularly shocking that the council isn't regularly keeping a central record of items lost and stolen. That will make it far more likely that systematic security problems aren't identified."

But Tim Clarke, council spokesman, added the actual number of missing and stolen items may be much higher.

The revelations today prompted Councillor Wendy Thompson, to launch a security review.