Redcar cyber-attack ‘cost council £10.4m’

Around 135,000 people were without online public services after Redcar and Cleveland’s website and computers were targeted in February.

The local authority has been in discussions with the government over covering the cost of the attack.

The council said they have made ‘improvements’ to its cyber-defences ‘with further upgrades planned’.

Online appointment bookings, planning documents, social care advice and council housing complaints systems were among services knocked offline and experts from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) were drafted in to help restore them.

A figure of £10.4m has been given to the government along with other information to assist with a due diligence process.

It has agreed to provide support to the council, according to the budget report.

Extensive recovery or replacement work to the IT infrastructure and systems made up £2.4m of the overall cost, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Upgrades to its systems since February and enrolment on an NCSC scheme mean its cyber-defences "will be far more advanced than most peers in local government", it added.

The attack continues to be subject to a criminal investigation.