Kensington and Chelsea Council cyber attack review to take up to a year
A comprehensive review into a cyber attack and data breach at Kensington and Chelsea Council is expected to take up to a year to complete, with a final report anticipated by March 2027.
Councillor Peter Marshall questioned Councillor Tom Bennett, Lead Member for Modernisation and Change, about the timescale for informing residents of the exact nature of the personal data breach and the likely risks incurred.
Councillor Bennett confirmed that some resident data was copied by those attackers.
He assured that If the review does identify that individual sensitive or high risk information has been affected, we will be contacting them directly and offering the appropriate support.
He also stated, To the best of our knowledge, and I think this is important for residents to hear, none of the data copied has been published thus far and we hope that will continue to be the case and we certainly continue to monitor this daily, working closely with law enforcement and national cybersecurity agencies and directing residents to trusted National Cyber Security Centre advice.
Councillor Bennett stated that following the criminal cyber attack on the council in November 2025, we do know that some resident data was copied by those attackers. We confirmed the breach with the information commissioner's office at the earliest opportunity and we have kept the ICO updated throughout.
He also mentioned that the forensic review may take up to 12 months at a maximum from when we commenced it so it will be complete by March 2027, March next year, though we certainly hope that we will complete it before then.
Councillor Marshall also raised concerns about the delay in becoming aware of the cyber attack. That allowed my line actors to work longer.
Councillor Bennett confirmed that 99% of services had been restored following the attack in November 2025. He stated that We're also not rebuilding back just what we had before. We're taking this opportunity to improve our online services to residents, making them easier to access, making them more secure, more resilient.
Councillor Bennett assured that affected individuals would be contacted directly and offered support. He also mentioned directing residents to trusted National Cyber Security Centre advice.
He added that the council was working closely with law enforcement and national cybersecurity agencies, stating that they are certainly continue to monitor this daily, working closely with law enforcement and national cybersecurity agencies and directing residents to trusted National Cyber Security Centre advice.
Councillor Marshall expressed disappointment with the lack of transparency and accountability regarding the cyber attack, stating that the explanation provided had not detailed the legacy systems that enabled access to the council's systems or the delay in becoming aware of the attack. He questioned whether the lead member agreed that this represented a severe lack of transparency and accountability in the council's governance.
Councillor Bennett responded that throughout the process, the council had sought to be as transparent and open as possible with the chamber and the public. He stated that We've also written to over 100,000 residents, 100,000 households with guidance regarding that breach.
He pledged that as soon as the review of the entire data breach was completed and all affected individuals identified, particularly those with sensitive information, they would be contacted at the earliest opportunity.
He also confirmed that strengthening cyber resilience is a core part of the council's IT strategy, adopted in September, and that significant investment would be made in this area.
