A major West London council has issued a stark warning that some of its services could be disrupted for months as it recovers from a devastating cyber attack.
Attack timeline and immediate response
The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Councillor Elizabeth Campbell, confirmed the authority was hit by the "incredibly serious" incident on Monday, November 24, 2025. Cyber security specialists were on-site by lunchtime that day, and systems were taken offline to prevent further data loss.
An emergency command centre was established, and the Metropolitan Police and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) were informed. The council publicly alerted residents to the cyber attack on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 25.
Data breach and recovery challenges
By Friday, November 28, the council confirmed a data breach had occurred, with some historical information copied and taken. While it believes the breach impacts archived data from 2006 to 2020, Councillor Campbell could not rule out that it may contain personal details or end up in the public domain.
She stated that advisors warn of weeks of disruption, with some ramifications expected to last for months. "We expect disruption to continue for at least two weeks and the ramifications to rumble on for months after that," she told a Full Council meeting on Wednesday, December 3.
Impact on residents and services
The council says its focus is on restoring services and supporting residents. Key impacts include:
- Bin collections and street cleaning are continuing as normal.
- Digitally-reliant services face significant disruption.
- Council tax payments via Direct Debit may be delayed, but residents are urged to keep funds in their accounts.
- Payments to foster carers were affected, but the council is working on a solution.
- No one will face rent arrears action if payments cannot be processed due to the cyber issues.
The council is being advised by NCC Group, the cyber security experts who assisted the British Library after its own major attack.
Review and future protection
Cllr Campbell promised a full review "when the time is right", to be conducted alongside the NCSC and the Information Commissioner's Office. She also pledged to work with the leaders of Westminster City Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which were also impacted through shared infrastructure, to strengthen future defences.
"Our priority is to protect our residents, restoring our systems and ensuring that services remain resilient," she said, thanking staff who have worked "literally day and night" in response. The investigation into who carried out the attack and why is ongoing.
