Internet access has been restored at a prominent West London council, marking a significant step in its recovery from a severe cyber attack that crippled its systems for weeks.
Slow and Safe Restoration of Services
Kensington and Chelsea Council has begun the process of 'turning the internet back on' for its staff and councillors. The move comes more than seven weeks after a cyber attack on November 24 forced the authority to disable its internal networks to limit the damage.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), council workers and elected members were able to browse the web on their official devices for the first time since the incident on Monday, January 12. Until that point, they could only send and receive emails on council hardware, having to rely on personal devices for internet access.
Recovery Plan Faces 'Many Bumps' Ahead
Council Leader Elizabeth Campbell addressed the Cabinet on Tuesday, January 13, confirming that the recovery was proceeding "over an extended period". She described reconnecting officers to the internet as "really quite a big step", noting that a lack of access had made it "impossible for them to do their work".
While Cllr Campbell stated the recovery was "going as planned", she warned of "many bumps" on the road ahead. The council's Chief Executive, Maxine Holdsworth, explained that services were "significantly disabled" not because everything was broken, but because systems had to be taken offline, thoroughly checked for any traces of the attackers, and then rebuilt carefully.
This painstaking process is being conducted in line with guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre, the council's own cyber experts, the Metropolitan Police, and the relevant regulator.
Financial and Operational Fallout
The attack has had serious practical consequences for the borough's operations. Council officers revealed that the incident has made it difficult to collect rent and council tax, as well as to pay suppliers.
Residents who pay council tax via direct debit and have not had payments taken are urged to set the money aside, as the council will collect it at a later date. Officials have also asked people not to switch to other payment methods, warning this could cause system confusion and delay refunds.
The council's outdated IT infrastructure has compounded the challenges, making the return to full functionality harder. Some systems, like planning, are technically operational but not fully functional. The authority is now upgrading its IT systems and aims to have all services running normally by the summer.
