The Joint IT Committee of Brent, Lewisham, and Southwark councils met on Tuesday 17 March 2026 to discuss the performance of the Shared ICT Service and updates on cybersecurity. A significant item on the agenda was the formal notification from Southwark Council of its intention to exit the shared service partnership.

Shared Technology Service Update Report

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the performance of the Shared ICT Service (STS) for the period of November 2025 to February 2026. The report indicated improvements in Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance for priority 3 and priority 4 operational issues. It also highlighted that the STS had achieved one of the lowest numbers of open issues and requests despite an increase in the user base. The report detailed ongoing projects, including laptop refreshes and upgrades to Windows 11 across the partner boroughs.

A key point of discussion was Southwark Council's formal notice to exit the partnership, with an intended completion date of 31 March 2028. The report outlined the structured mobilisation process for this exit, involving three core workstreams: People, Contracts & Commercial, and Operations. The Inter-Authority Agreement was also scheduled for review, with a meeting planned to set expectations, particularly in light of Southwark's departure.

The report also noted the passing of two STS members, Tim Green (Head of Strategy and Technology) and Frank Lee (Security Monitoring and Performance Officer), and expressed that their loss was deeply felt.

Shared Technology Service Cyber Security Update Report

The committee was also set to receive an update on the cyber security status, threats, and mitigation strategies for the Shared Technology Services. This included information on the onboarding of a provider for 24x7 Security Operations Centre monitoring, further development of cyber security controls, and work with LOTI (London Datastore) and other security enhancements. The report was expected to cover compliance with the Public Services Network (PSN) and ongoing engagement with Microsoft to enhance user identity security. Emergency planning exercises involving councillors were also mentioned as being scheduled.

The report was also to provide an update on a recent cyber security attack that affected a shared IT infrastructure environment across three London Councils not part of the STS, and the measures in place within STS to mitigate against similar incidents.

Council Updates

Updates were also scheduled from the individual digital teams of Brent, Lewisham, and Southwark councils.

• Brent Council was expected to report on progress in digital modernisation, including the completion of its Windows 11 laptop rollout, infrastructure upgrades, and preparations for the May 2026 Local Elections.
• Lewisham Council was to provide an update on its digital strategy, focusing on improvements to its Housing Portal, Bulky Waste collection service, and Highways Licensing. The report was also to cover efforts to improve digital connectivity through fibre broadband and 4G/5G cell coverage.
• Southwark Council was to present updates on its strategic direction and governance reform, infrastructure and connectivity initiatives, cybersecurity measures, data and platform modernisation, and the deployment of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The report was also to detail the progress of their laptop replacement programme and the implementation of Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).

The meeting's agenda also included the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting held on 25 November 2025 and a note on the dates for future meetings in the 2026-27 Municipal Year.