|
Join us on Twitter: You can now find news, information, events and more from the LGA’s Cyber, Digital and Technology team @LGAcyberdigital
Dear colleague
Welcome to the third edition of the LGA’s Cyber, Digital and Technology (CDT) bulletin.
This month we hosted our first Leadership Essentials training workshop for councillors over two days in Birmingham. We were joined by councillors looking to build their confidence and capability to lead digital change in councils. Our next Leadership Essentials training workshop for councillors will be held online in December.
 We are also running more Cyber 360s in December and are looking for volunteer officers to join our 360 team. You can also express an interest in your council participating in an LGA-facilitated business continuity exercise.
Our team is always keen to hear about notable cyber and digital work being carried out in your council, so please get in touch with cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk if you would like to share examples of projects you have carried out or would like to find out more about our programme.
Best wishes,
|
Owen Pritchard
Head of Cyber, Digital and Technology
Local Government Association
|
|
 |
New CDT communications channels
We are now on Twitter! Follow us @LGAcyberdigital to get news from the sector, and visit our redesigned website, where you can find tools, resources, and publications to support your cyber and digital work.
Take part in the LGA’s bespoke Business Continuity Exercise
Has your council exercised its business continuity plan from a cybersecurity perspective? In partnership with the Emergency Planning College, we offer councils the opportunity to participate in a fully funded Business Continuity Exercise to rehearse their response to a worst-case cyber incident scenario. Aimed at senior leaders, the exercise will:
- TEST crisis response and contingency plans for a serious cyber incident
- REHEARSE individuals in crisis response process and procedures
- IDENTIFY where current plans require refinement
- IMPROVE awareness of cyber security and responsibility across the council
If your council would like to participate, please get in touch with us at cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk to express your interest or arrange an introductory conversation.
LGA Cyber 360 – Volunteer opportunity for officers
Are you an officer looking for a peer-to-peer learning opportunity? We are delivering a Cyber 360 with a council in December and are looking for officers to join our multi-disciplinary team. Our Cyber 360 programme helps councils to explore their cyber security culture – in a safe, friendly and constructive environment. You will have the opportunity to explore and support officers in another council while developing your cyber security knowledge. If you have a CISSP or CISM qualification, we will happily contribute a letter to support your annual mandatory CPD requirements.
We are currently seeking officers to join a Cyber 360 with a North-West-based council:
North-West-based council Cyber 360:
- Day 1 - Tuesday, 6 December 2022 (Virtual)
- Day 2 - Wednesday, 7 December 2022 (Virtual)
- Day 3 - Friday, 9 December 2022 (Virtual)
To discuss volunteering, please get in touch with us at cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
Free workshop on digitalisation
This month, we hosted the first free leadership essentials workshop for councillors on digitalisation. This two-day residential course introduced councillors to the 12 outcomes of digitalisation, highlighted good practices and provided an opportunity to network with peers. The same workshop will take place virtually on 6 and 7 December. Please share these details with members interested in attending the session. To book, please email grace.collins@local.gov.uk
Digital democracy roundtable
We hosted a roundtable where we were joined by more than 20 governance and democratic service officers. The officers discussed the challenges and opportunities of using digital methods to boost citizen participation, consultation, and engagement. We have written a blog for those unable to attend the roundtable.
Free fibre broadband for 17 public sites in Manchester
A total of 17 public buildings have been set up with free internet connectivity for five years across the Greater Manchester area. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority received £23.8 million in funding from the central Government and, despite the challenges of COVID-19, has successfully provided access to a range of public sites, including homeless shelters, charities, and community centres. In addition, the programme has provided 28 new apprenticeship opportunities.
Hackney Council aligns recovery with modernisation
In an interview with UKAuthority, Hackney Council’s Rob Miller, Strategic Director for Customer and Workplace, shares lessons on the council’s long-term response to the 2020 cyber-attack and how the event has accelerated the modernisation plans the council had in place before the attack.
South Norfolk Council launches bin app
South Norfolk Council has launched a bin app which neighbouring council Broadland Council will soon use. ReCollect has been developed to help residents stay informed about bin collections and recycling with information specific to their homes. The two councils aim to achieve a 60% recycling rate across their districts.
Call for notable practice
Have you delivered a project in your council which has driven innovation or transformation through digitalisation? Or have you carried out a project addressing digital exclusion, or are you creating a new cybersecurity strategy? We are keen to hear about notable practices in the sector related to the 12 strategic outcomes of digitalisation. If you have any experiences or products to share, please do get in touch and email cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk
Local Government Networks
We host and participate in several networks which meet regularly to discuss a range of topics related to cyber, digital and technology. Working alongside partners such as Soctim, ADEPT and local authority-led networks, the groups meet to share good practice, resources, and latest policy guidelines.
Local CIO Council
1 December, 3pm – 5pm
The Local CIO Council is a Socitm-run group which provides strategic direction for ICT and digital policy for local government. This quarterly meeting will hear updates from Socitm, Crown Commercial Services on their Big Data and Analytics Framework, an update from DLUHC on their cyber and digital programme, and the LGA will be providing an update on the the local government outcomes of Digitalisation Almanac.
Local Government Digital Committee (LGDC)
5 December, 2 pm – 4 pm
The LGDC is a representative group of council chief executives and directors, interested in or actively delivering the ‘transformation’ of local public services in their council. In this bi-monthly meeting, we will be joined by the Greater London Authority who will share learning on the Sharing Cities Programme, and we’ll hear from a council on their recent Pathfinders project.
Please contact cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk to find out more about these networks and how to join.
Sector events
Harnessing data to support vulnerable people
2 December, 11am-12pm
UKAuthority is hosting an event exploring how local authorities, health and other local public services can link and share data to identify and support vulnerable people in their communities this winter as the cost of living and energy crises continues. For more information and registration, please visit the webpage.
Building skills and awareness for local government data analysts
5 December, 2 pm – 3.15 pm
Join the LGA Research and Information Team and speakers from the Office of National Statistics Data Science Campus (ONS DSC) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to hear about two recent free support opportunities. The session will also hear from the EHRC on recently published guidance on how to consider the Public Sector Equality Duty when commissioning and using artificial intelligence and algorithmic supported analytics in data projects, as well as further monitoring work the Commission is doing in this area. Please visit the website for more information on how to join the Advanced & Predictive Analytics Network in Local Government (APAN) to attend this webinar.
Cyber Skills: talent retention & recruitment
7 December, 10 am-12 pm
iNetwork is hosting this event to explore ways the public sector can recruit and retain talent for cyber skills and will look at the challenges and consider solutions. Cyber skills are a hot commodity across all sectors in the digital age. The need for in-house skills to protect data from cyber-attack and malicious actors has grown exponentially in recent years. For more information and registration, please visit the webpage.
Launch of 100% Digital Leeds Community-based Approach to Digital Inclusion
8 December, 1.30 pm – 2 pm
We awarded Leeds City Council funding as part of our Digital Pathfinders Programme. The grant has enabled the council to develop a digital inclusion model that other councils can follow. This webinar is an opportunity to hear more about the council’s approach, how they will benefit from it, and how to access the model. For more information and registration, please visit the webpage.
DCMS launches Secure Connected Places landing page
DMCS has launched a new Gov.UK landing page for its Secure Connected Places project with updates on the work its team is doing to support the cyber security of connected places (also known as smart cities). Visitors can find out more about the Secure Connected Places programme, access research and learn more about current and past projects as well as how to contact the DCMS team.
DCMS publishes UK connected places market analysis
The DCMS Secure Connected Places team has appointed a cohort of six local authorities to take part in its Secure Connected Places research project. The six local authorities are the South London Partnership, Dorset Council, Westminster City Council, Perth and Kinross Council, the City of Bradford Council, and Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council. Working with the cohort, the project will explore issues around the cyber security of connected places and the implementation of the NCSC’s Connected Places Cyber Security Principles to identify how DCMS can further support local authorities that manage connected places projects. The project aims to produce a set of resources to help increase the cyber resilience of connected places.
New National Cyber Advisory Board meets to protect UK’s interests
Government and industry representatives have met via a new National Cyber Advisory Board for the first time to discuss how to protect and promote the UK’s interests in cyberspace, including how best to counter growing cyber threats. The new Board will work closely with the Government’s National Cyber Security Centre (which is already running campaigns and training for businesses), Government and consumers to build cyber resilience.
Microsoft publishes digital defence report 2022
Microsoft has published a new digital defence report. It highlights the increasing threat from nation-states carrying out sophisticated cyber-attacks, including Russia’s use of cyber operations to bolster its position following its illegal invasion of Ukraine. The report also discusses trends around the exploitation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
UKAuthority Resilience & Cyber4Good Conference – Access the videos on demand
UKAuthority hosted a two-day conference on strengthening cyber defences and maintaining vital public services. The event featured speakers from the LGA, local and central government, the NHS and more. You can access the content on demand if you missed the conference on the UKAuthority webpage.
NCSC weekly threat reports
A reminder to keep reviewing the NCSC’s weekly threat reports on its webpage. Recent highlights from NCSC’s weekly threat reports include:
- Dropbox blog: a phishing email that led to an attack
- New scanning capability to identify UK vulnerabilities
- Google support for Chrome browser on Windows 7 and 8/8.1 to end in early 2023
- The new professional standard for cyber security professionals in the UK
NCSC publishes the 2022 annual review
The NCSC has published its 2022 annual review, which looks at key events over the past year. Some insights include the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the cyber security landscape, a 90% increase in sign-ups to their Early Warning Service, and the removal of 2.1 million cyber-enabled commodity campaigns. In addition to looking back, the report explores the cyber threats on the horizon.
NCSC CEO delivers an international speech on securing the Internet of Things and connected places
In a speech at Singapore International Cyber Week, Lindy Cameron, head of NCSC, emphasised the importance of related technologies being secure by design. Lindy said the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) had brought benefits for consumers, enterprises and at a city level in connected places. She also highlighted the associated risks that must be managed to stay ahead of cyber threats. Read the full speech here.
Head of Programme: owen.pritchard@local.gov.uk
Cyber, Digital and Technology Team: cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk
For more information visit our Cyber and Digital hub
|
