Lewisham, Brent and Southwark councils are bolstering their IT security and enhancing service performance through new tools and strategic initiatives, supported by a total budget of £17.84 million for the FY 2025/26. This budget comprises £8.6 million in non-controllable expenditure and £9.1 million in controllable expenditure, covering staffing and consultancy costs.
The councils are implementing a new vulnerability management tool for laptops to enhance insights and automate deployment, as highlighted in the Shared Technology Service (STS) Update Report. This move aims to proactively address potential weaknesses in the system and ensure a more secure digital environment for council operations.
In addition to the vulnerability management tool, a new 3rd party Security Operations Centre went live at the end of January 2025 for all three councils. These measures reflect a commitment to strengthening the cyber security posture of the Shared Technology Services.
The STS Cyber Security Update Report also provided an overview of the cyber security status, threats, and mitigations identified in relation to the STS. This report likely contained sensitive information regarding the councils' strategies for defending against cyber threats.
These improvements align with the councils' broader digital transformation strategies. For example:
- Brent: is exceeding connectivity targets, providing devices to digitally excluded residents, streamlining Social Care Mosaic forms, and deploying a parking chatbot.
- Lewisham: is focusing on fibre installation to Lewisham Homes properties, connectivity mapping, and various digital projects related to pest control, bulky waste, and safeguarding.
- Southwark: is undertaking strategic direction and governance reform, expanding infrastructure and connectivity initiatives, focusing on cybersecurity and audit readiness, data and platform modernization, robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, and Zero Trust Network Access.
These improvements come as part of a broader effort to enhance the overall performance of the STS. The Shared Technology Service Update Report noted several positive developments, including:
- SLA performance for priority 3 (P3) operational incident issues had remained the same and priority 4 (P4) operational request calls SLA have been maintained at the same level compared with the previous reporting period.
- The STS had achieved the second lowest amount of open issues and requests for staff since the inception of the Shared Service, despite having the largest user base on record.
- Recent Audit reviews had been positive, with the lowest amount of outstanding audit actions remaining.
Customer satisfaction remains a key focus, with a new Customer Experience survey in place to gather feedback on customer interactions. According to the Shared Technology Service Update Report, action is being taken on the feedback received since January 2025. The STS Service desk follows up with all very dissatisfied and dissatisfied responses within two working days, ensuring that these interactions are meticulously recorded in a centralised system.
The councils are also making progress on other IT-related projects, including laptop upgrades and network improvements. These initiatives are aimed at providing staff with the tools they need to work effectively and securely.
The laptop upgrades involve a refresh program to Windows 11. For Brent, deployment of new Windows 11 laptops is underway with over 1300 delivered. For Lewisham, the business case is signed off and procurement is underway, with the tender closing on July 15 and award expected the week of July 28. For Southwark, procurement is complete, and the contract was awarded to Insight on May 29.
Network upgrades involve implementing SD-WAN technology to replace dedicated leased lines, promising enhanced flexibility in routing network traffic. For Brent, there are 48 connections in scope across 38 sites, with 3 completed and 7 removed from scope. Lewisham has 34 connections in scope across 31 sites, with 3 completed and 3 removed from scope. Southwark has 150 connections in scope over 112 sites, with 51 completed and 10 removed from scope.
