Published: Monday 16 March 2026
Following the criminal cyber attack on the Council in November 2025, we know some resident data was copied. We confirmed a data breach with the Information Commissioner's Office at the earliest opportunity and have provided updates both online and by writing to more than 100,000 households with guidance on what to do if they had any concerns.
We continue to direct people to trusted advice from the National Cyber Security Centre on protecting yourself from fraud, scams, or identity misuse, and what to do when an organisation suffers a data breach at the hands of cybercriminals.
We understand how worrying this can be and this update explains the work under way and what you can expect as we continue a detailed forensic review of the data affected.
What we’re doing now
We are working with independent cybersecurity specialists to carry out a thorough forensic review of the data copied during the attack, prioritising any sensitive or higher-risk personal information.
We are planning for all scenarios, including the possibility that stolen data could be misused or published. We continue to work closely with law enforcement and national cybersecurity agencies.
Throughout this process, we are committed to being transparent about the work underway, while not sharing anything that could help the criminals responsible or compromise the investigation.
When we’ll contact you
We are still reviewing all of the records.
If we find that someone’s sensitive or higher-risk information has been impacted, we will contact them directly and offer tailored support. This careful, phased approach follows national best practice for large scale data breaches.
We want to give residents clear, accurate information and will continue to provide public updates as soon as we have verified information to share. To avoid any unnecessary worry, we will only share details publicly once they are confirmed by our forensic teams and will not speculate or release incomplete details.
How long this process will take
Because of the volume and complexity of the data involved, this careful review will take time. We expect it to take some months to allow us to fully understand what information has been affected.
Alongside the investigation, we are strengthening our systems and working with cyber experts as part of a long term recovery programme to reduce future risk.
What you can do to protect yourself
We encourage residents to remain vigilant about scams or unexpected contact. You can read and follow National Cyber Security Centre advice on keeping your data safe and what to do if you are worried about a data breach.
You can read the latest updates on the recovery from the cyber attack and find answers to frequently asked questions.