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Dear colleague
Welcome to the sixth edition of the Cyber, Digital and Technology Bulletin.
This month, we are busy planning our fourth Digital Showcase Conference. This event will see the launch of the Local Government Digitalisation Almanac and will spotlight some of the innovative work councils are delivering to support digitalisation.
Our Digitalisation Almanac is structured around the 12 digitalisation outcomes and aims to make the topic of local government digitalisation more accessible and understandable to a wide range of audiences. It contains simple steps, practical examples, and recommended reading to support officers and councillors. It is not an instruction manual, but a starting point for a conversation about improvement regardless of where councils are on their digitalisation journey. We are looking forward to sharing it with you next month.
We would be delighted if you could join us online for our Digital Showcase Conference on Tuesday 21 March. In addition to the launch of the Almanac, you will hear from speakers such as Hull City Council and Westminster City Council who will share details of their work on digital inclusion and digital connectivity. The event will also feature case studies from Kirklees Council and Barking and Dagenham Council on the digital tools they are using to bolster engagement in local democracy. Examples from the Digital Innovation Zone in Hertfordshire and Essex will also feature.
As well as providing details on how to sign up for the Digital Showcase, this bulletin also contains a roundup of the latest news from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) including its latest guidelines on mapping supply chain dependencies. I thoroughly recommend reading this given the size and complexity of local government supply chains which are increasingly attractive to cyber criminals.
We also feature a call for views from DCMS on software resilience and security for businesses and organisations. If you’d like to contribute to the LGA’s response to the consultation, or would like further information about our cyber, digital, and technology improvement support offer, please get in touch with us at cyberanddigital@local.go.uk.
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Owen Pritchard
Head of Cyber, Digital and Technology
Local Government Association
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Digital Showcase Conference 2023 (online) - Tuesday 21 March 2023, 10.00am - 4.45pm
Join us for the launch of our Local Government Digitalisation Almanac and hear from councils delivering innovative digital projects.
This free event is aimed at both officers and councillors who want to learn more about the full benefits of digitalisation including connectivity, inclusion, local productivity, as well as democracy, and engagement.
Speakers include some of our Pathfinder councils who will share case studies from their digital connectivity and inclusion toolkit. Confirmed case studies include the Citizens Alliance Network from Barking and Dagenham and the Digital Innovation Zone in Hertfordshire and Essex. For further details including how to register please visit our webpage.
LGA Cyber 360 Programme – take part in Cyber 360s
The Cyber 360 programme provides an opportunity for councils to explore cyber security through a different lens – offering a fresh set of perspectives on a council’s cyber-security culture in a safe, friendly and constructive environment.
The LGA is inviting expressions of interest from all councils to take part in the programme. A multi-disciplinary team of peers and technical experts will provide in-depth, bespoke support to your council, supporting you to build your capabilities, and develop a whole-council approach to cyber-security.
If you would like to hear more about this opportunity, please come along to a 30-minute information session using this Microsoft Teams Link. We will be running sessions on the following dates:
Friday 3 March – 3.00pm-3.30pm
Wednesday 15th March- 2.30pm-3:00pm
The team can also be contacted for a conversation at CyberandDigital@local.gov.uk
LGA ‘on-call’ support for councils experiencing a cyber incident
If you are experiencing a cyber incident, you should report this directly to the National Cyber Security Centre via their incident reporting service. An additional ‘on-call’ service is available from the LGA on evenings and weekends to support councils through a cyber incident. Details of who is ‘on-call’ are published every week on our webpage.
Local Government Cyber and Digital networks
Are you looking to network, share thoughts and hear updates from across the country on cyber and digital developments within local government? We host and support a range of networks with associated partners. Visit our website to learn more and how to join.
The LGA responded to a Ransomware Inquiry Call for Evidence
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) launched an inquiry into ransomware. The LGA responded raising concerns about the devastating impact of ransomware attacks on affected councils, the need for coordinated support by Government in response to an incident, and the accessibility of the cyber insurance market for local government. Read our response here. If you have any questions, please email the policy team on cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk.
Birmingham City Council has implemented a mobile app to support field workers
Birmingham City Council has developed a platform that enables 3,000 field workers, to capture and access data from a variety of databases, present casework in a consistent format and assign risk markers to people or places.
Sunderland City Council: 5G Connected and Automated Logistics (5G CAL)
Sunderland City Council’s pioneering 5G CAL pilot is the first in the UK to test technology to enable the first zero emission automated logistics Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV). The council is now planning and delivering a series of projects to develop the technology and establish a testbed for connected and automated logistics in the North East. Read the case study on the LGA webpage.
Dorset Council 5G Rural Dorset
Dorset Council is leading a consortium of partners in delivering a £9 million research project, 5G Rural Dorset. The project looks at how 5G can be used to improve connectivity in rural areas. Five research areas have been built to trial innovative public, social, and business uses of improved mobile connectivity. These focus on Connected Coast, Rural Community Accelerator, Future of Food, Innovation Accelerator, and Coastal Cliff Monitoring. Find out more on 5G Rural Dorset’s webpage.
NCSC weekly threat reports
Recent highlights from NCSC’s weekly threat reports:
NCSC guidance on supply chain mapping
The NCSC has published new guidance for medium to large organisations needing to gain confidence or assurance that mitigations are in place for vulnerabilities associated with working with suppliers. Supply chain mapping is the process of recording, storing, and using information gathered from suppliers who are involved in a company’s supply chain. The goal is to have an up-to-date understanding of your network of suppliers so that cyber risks can be managed more effectively, and due diligence carried out. You can also find an e-learning guide on embedding cyber resilience in local government supply chains on the LGA webpage.
NCSC Connected Places forum
In 2022, a Connected Places Information Exchange (CPIE) was formed, to help facilitate the sharing of information between government and local authorities on potential cyber, physical, personnel threats, vulnerabilities, and information on how risks may be mitigated. The CPIE is an exchange specifically for the Connected Places sector. Please contact ConnectedPlaces@ncsc.gov.uk for further details.
NCSC publishes advisory on techniques used by attackers in spear-phishing campaigns
In a recent advisory, the NCSC shared details about techniques and tactics used by cyber actors based in Russia and Iran in spear phishing campaigns. The advisory highlights that throughout 2022 separate malicious campaigns were conducted by Russia-based group SEABORGIUM and Iran-based group TA453, also known as APT42, to target a range of organisations and individuals in the UK and elsewhere for information-gathering purposes. Sectors targeted include, academia, defence, government organisations, and others.
Government seeking views on software security and resilience
The government is asking for industry views on software resilience and security for businesses and organisations. Strengthening the resilience of software is an important part of strengthening organisational cyber resilience more widely, so the government is seeking views on software cyber risk, and where government action might help to mitigate such risk. The deadline to provide views is Monday 1 May. If you would like to share your views with the LGA, please email cyberanddigital@local.gov.uk
DLUHC round-up from Local Digital fund round five projects
The Local Digital team at DLUHC has published a round-up of the projects funded as part of round five of the Local Digital Fund. Nine councils were selected to deliver projects focused on digital transformation across two themes: development platforms and software. These projects sought to find solutions to a range of needs, from improving how children’s placement data is captured and analysed to developing a new and flexible digital waste service. Read the full blog post on the Local Digital webpage.
Socitm’s Public Sector Digital Trends briefing for 2023 is out now
Set in the context of turbulence and the pressing need for resilience and sustainability, the Society For Innovation Technology and Modernisation's (Socitm) Public Sector Digital Trends report examines the digital threats and opportunities facing local government now and what’s coming next. Despite extreme challenges in the sector, the report reflects optimism among digital leaders, particularly around innovation in harnessing data and in service design.
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, ICC Belfast, Northern Ireland
The NCSC is 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.
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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