Leicestershire’s councils are facing millions of cyber threats every year, a regional media investigation has found.

It prompted reporters to ask East Midlands Cyber Security Cluster (EMCSC) how and why local authorities must treat cyber resilience as a core part of how they protect residents.

Recent figures reported by the Leicestershire Local Democracy Reporting Service – including in the Leicester Mercury – show that attempts to breach local systems now run into the millions.

For example, data obtained from Charnwood Borough Council under Freedom of Information laws shows that it has logged more than 29 million cyber threats since March 2024. The authority stated that threats come from “other countries” and IP addresses  “originating from various ranges” including automated attacks and phishing attempts.

EMCSC director, Ismini Vasileiou, said: “This scale of threat is very common, and, for most organisations, forms part of the automated background noise they deal with everyday.”

Dr Vasileiou explained in the article that the high number of blocked attempts does not necessarily mean a council has been breached, but rather that it often reflects the volume of routine malicious activity being filtered out.

“They try to see if there’s any back doors open – any way they can have access to those digital assets,” she said. “It is a continuous task – it doesn’t stop. There is always more we can do. I am not going to say we are there yet – it is an evolving landscape.”

Dr Ismini Vasileiou says it is time for local authorities to treat cyber resilience as a core public service responsibility.

“Councils are now on the frontline of cyber risk,” she said. “They are increasingly attractive targets for cyber criminals because of the sensitive data they hold and the essential services they run. 

“When systems go down or data is compromised, it is residents – often the most vulnerable – who feel it first. That’s why cyber resilience has to be built into how we think about services, governance and risk – not left solely to overstretched IT teams.”

From EMCSC’s perspective, the challenge is not simply the volume of threats but ensuring that leadership, culture and planning keep pace.

“There are practical steps councils can take now,” Dr Vasileiou added. “Clear ownership of cyber risk at senior level, regular awareness training for staff, and realistic exercises that test how you would respond to an incident all make a tangible difference. 

“You do not need to do everything at once, but you do need a plan that everyone understands and rehearses.”

Through EMCSC, Dr Vasileiou and partners are working with local authorities and regional bodies to turn national guidance into workable action plans – helping officers, elected members and suppliers understand their role in strengthening cyber resilience over time.