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Dear Colleague,
Welcome to the fifth Cyber, Digital and Technology (CDT) bulletin and the first edition of 2023.
2023 promises to be another interesting year for all of us involved in Local Government Digitalisation. For those who want to understand more about what is coming, I highly recommend reading the Society For Innovation Technology and Modernisation (SOCITM)’s “Public Sector’s Digital Trends” which is due to be published shortly. I’ve sneaked a peak of an early copy and am a massive fan of the analysis they have done in order to identify 12 key digital and six technology trends for 2023. This is a must read for all public sector digital leaders this year.
I also want to take a moment to draw attention to three of the LGA’s CDT products and services:
- First, in February, our 2023 live training offer begins with a free webinar to explore effective communications strategies during and after a cyber security incident. Also, building on our “Leadership Essentials: Digitalisation for Councillors” pilot, we are offering four additional half-day masterclasses to support elected members in leading their council’s digitalisation journey.
- Second, we recently published a new guide, ‘10 Questions on Cyber Security’, for councillors sitting on scrutiny committees and the officers who support them. This is aimed at supporting councils’ scrutiny functions regarding cyber security policies, practices and procedures. We are getting a great deal of positive feedback about the guide, so please do take a look and send it the way of the relevant councillors and scrutiny officers.
- Thirdly, through our Cyber 360 programme and Reaction Exercises, we continue to provide bespoke support to councils and provide opportunities for officers to gain valuable knowledge and experience by supporting another council and participating in these activities as peers. We are always looking for volunteers, so please do get in touch.
Finally, we are once again hosting our annual conference in July and applications are open for councils to take part in the Innovation Zone - one of the key highlights of the conference each year. If you have any examples of work that your council has done or is doing in the digitalisation space that may be of interest to others, please do apply to take part.
If you have any feedback on this bulletin or any other improvement support we offer, do get in touch with the team at cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
Best wishes,
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Owen Pritchard
Head of Cyber, Digital and Technology
Local Government Association
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LGA webinar – Cyber security and the crisis communications response
Monday 6 February 2023, 2.00pm – 3.30pm
A cyber incident in a council has the potential to cause significant disruption and seriously impact the lives of individuals and communities. What, how, when and to whom should information about the incident be communicated internally and externally? This webinar will feature speakers talking about communication risks and the realities of responding to a crisis. For further information and registration, please visit our webpage.
LGA Annual Conference Innovation Zone – Applications now open
This summer, we will again host our annual conference – the biggest event in the local government calendar – and spotlight some outstanding work councils are undertaking through the conference’s hugely popular Innovation Zone. Councils can apply now to showcase some of the bold and innovative work they are undertaking. We are particularly interested in projects focused on digital and tech solutions. If you’d like to hear more, please email cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
LGA guidance for scrutiny officers and councillors on cyber security
We have published a new guide – 10 Questions on Cyber Security - for councillors and officers involved in scrutinising their council’s cyber security arrangements. The guidance is designed to help councillors and officers – in the context of cyber security – review policies, practices and procedures and how democratic oversight can enhance broader awareness of cyber security issues.
Call for views - research into cyber security operations centre(s) for local government
The LGA is exploring how cyber threats and attacks are monitored, detected, and responded to by local government. As part of this work, we are looking to conduct research into Cyber Security Operations Centres (CSOC) operating in local government and the wider public sector. We are looking to identify councils that have CSOCs in place, those who are considering these capabilities, and anyone else who feels they can contribute to this research. Please get in touch via cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
LGA Cyber 360 – volunteer opportunity for officers
Are you a local government officer looking for a peer-to-peer learning opportunity? We are looking for volunteers to join our Cyber 360 team. You will help other councils explore their cyber security culture through conversations with council teams. If you have a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) qualification, we will happily contribute a letter to support your annual mandatory Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements. If you are interested or would like to discuss this further, please contact cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
We are currently seeking officers to join the following 360s:
West Midlands-based council virtual Cyber 360
Day 1 – Tuesday, 31 January 2023
Day 2 – Monday, 6 February 2023
North West-based council virtual Cyber 360
Day 1 – Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Day 2 – Wednesday, 1 March 2023
Day 3 – Thursday, 2 March 2023
South West-based council virtual Cyber 360
Day 1 - 3 March 2023
Day 2 - 7 March 2023
LGA’s bespoke business continuity exercise – volunteer opportunity for officers
Has your council exercised its business continuity plan from a cybersecurity perspective? In partnership with the Emergency Planning College, we’re offering councils the opportunity to participate in a fully-funded Business Continuity Exercise to rehearse their response to a worst-case cyber incident scenario. Contact us at cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk to express your interest or arrange a conversation.
Aimed at senior leaders, the Business Continuity 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
LGA’s digitalisation masterclasses for councillors
Are you a councillor with a portfolio for cyber or digital? You may be interested in learning more about how digitalisation can support transformative services. We are hosting four half-day masterclasses in February for councillors to explore the role of elected members in driving digital change using our 12 outcomes of digitalisation. Please share these details with members who might be interested in attending.
Digital inclusion model for councils
Last week, we were delighted to read UKAuthority’s article highlighting the digital inclusion work by Leeds City Council, funded by our Digital Pathfinders Programme.
The 100 per cent Digital Leeds team created a 50-page best practice model to guide councils through the stages of building partnerships between services and organisations that support residents getting online.
The Digital Pathfinders Programme 2021/2022 awarded up to £20,000 per council to fund pioneering solutions to improve digital inclusion, connectivity or cyber security. Each project is contributing towards service transformation to meet the needs of local communities.
Call for notable practice
Do you have any notable practice to share with our readers? We are keen to hear what’s happening across the country relating to our 12 outcomes of digitalisation. If so, contact cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
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:
NCSC reveals top government email impersonation scams taken down in 2022
The NCSC has revealed the leading public sector brands used in phishing scams – the NHS was the most impersonated brand taken down through the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS). The NCSC received a total of 6.4 million reports of email impersonations last year. The NCSC has urged the public to stay alert for scammers using exploitative tactics as we head into 2023 and to share tips on how to spot and report suspicious messages.
Removal of gsi-family domains from the public sector
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) have outlined plans to remove all Government Secure Intranet (gsi)-family domain names from the public sector by 31 March 2023 due to their vulnerability to spoofing and malicious attacks. The CDDO have published a blog post with the timeline for the changes as well as guidance for public sector organisations with gsi-family domains ahead of these changes.
DLUHC digital transformation training programme for senior local government officers
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is running a free training programme for local government officers, in collaboration with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute and Socitm, in February and March 2023. The Executive Education Programme in Digital Transformation for UK Local Government is designed to equip senior local government officers with the confidence and expertise to lead the successful digital transformation of public services. To register, please visit the AWS booking page.
New guidance published on Public Switch Telephone Network
In November 2017, the telecoms industry announced its intention to retire analogue telephone networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) by the end of 2025. The industry will upgrade landline services to new digital technology using an internet connection, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Digital Voice or All-IP telephony. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has published guidance on the PSTN and how to prepare for it.
DCMS and CDEI publish a report on public attitudes towards digital regulation
The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) conducted a tracker survey to monitor public attitudes towards data and AI. This research report is an addendum to the tracker survey, providing insights into digital regulatory issues, including consumer choice, online safety, and people’s ability to exchange accurate information online reliably.
Cabinet Office launch consultation on data sharing regulations for identity verification
The Government Digital Service is consulting on proposals for new data-sharing legislation that would make it easier for citizens to prove who they are online when accessing government services. It will also unlock the full benefits of a new government identity verification system, known as GOV.UK One Login. The consultation closes on 3 March 2023. For more details and how to respond, visit the webpage. To contribute to a Local Government Association response (in partnership with Socitm and Solace), please get in touch with the team at cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
M365 Compliance Roadshow
January – March 2023 (various locations)
Microsoft and Lighthouse (Microsoft Partner) are running regional UK workshops for local and regional authorities to discuss best practices in implementing critical compliance areas using Microsoft 365 capabilities. The key discussion areas will be Information Protection, Records Management, eDiscovery and Privacy Management. For further information and registration, please visit the webpage.
Powering Digital Public Services
Wednesday 8 March - Friday 10 March (online)
UKAuthority is hosting this online event which will focus on the opportunities to harness digital data and technology to power the delivery of health and public services. For further information and registration, please visit the webpage.
CYBERUK 2023: securing an open and resilient digital future
Wednesday 19 April – Thursday 20 April 2023, ICC Belfast, Northern Ireland
The NCSC will be running its annual flagship conference this April in Belfast. The event will bring together key players in cyber security from around the world to discuss cyber threats, emerging technology, and shaping a resilient digital future. Apply to attend on the NCSC webpage.
Better Security Better Care cyber incident response project
Better Security Better Care is conducting an in-depth analysis of cyber incident response planning in adult social care and engaging key stakeholders on the response to the Advanced incident. This analysis aims to build on the initial lessons learned across health and social care, and identify key gaps in policy and response that need to be acted upon. If you’re interested in participating in the survey, please email kiran.bhogal@templarexecs.com by 3 February.
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
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