A serious cyber attack continues to cripple IT systems at a Teesside council 13 days on.
The website of Redcar and Cleveland Council remains offline but now displays a holding page.
Beneath the council logo the page simply reads: “Our teams are working hard to bring the RCBC website back online.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience whilst we get this sorted out.”
The page goes on to list useful numbers of council departments for residents who may need to get in touch.
Council websites are typically used by members of the public to pay council tax, report problems or view planning and licensing applications.
The exact nature of the cyber-attack is yet to be confirmed, but the council has stressed there is no reason to think any personal data has been stolen.
A council spokesman yesterday repeated a previously released statement saying: “Investigations are continuing but at this stage, there is no evidence so far to suggest that any personal data has been lost outside the council’s systems.”
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has remained tight-lipped about the details of the IT breech but has confirmed it was investigating the incident.
An ICO spokeswoman said: “Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has made us aware of an incident and we are assessing the information provided.”
It is understood that at least some staff are now able to access email having being forced to revert to using pen and paper, after IT systems were targeted at around 11am on February 8.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) is leading a criminal probe, while the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has been at Redcar’s Heart HQ since the attack.
A NSCS spokesperson said: “We are aware of a cyber incident affecting Redcar and Cleveland Council.
“This is an isolated incident and we are supporting the organisation and working with partners to understand its impact.”
On Monday, the council took to Facebook to give residents an update: “As you will be aware, we are experiencing issues with our IT systems. We are still able to receive and answer limited calls and emails and we will be prioritising urgent messages.
“There may be a slight delay in dealing with non-urgent calls and messages, and the council’s website is currently down.
“Our teams are working hard to resolve the problem and we would like to thank residents for their continued patience at this time.”
At a meeting of the council’s Governance Committee last week, independent councillor Colin Monson said IT security needed to be looked at as a priority and called the situation a “serious disaster”.
“I think this history of what has happened over the last couple of days is a clear indication that disaster recovery systems across the authority need a serious review,” he said.
Useful numbers
Payments to the Council can be made online by going to www.civicaepay.co.uk
Alternatively, the Automated Telephone Payment line is available on 01642 444000.
Both of these routes accept credit and debit card payments and are open 24/7.
If you have contacted Adult Social Care or social care based occupational therapy in the past two months to ask for help call 01642 065070 or 07796 394602.
The Registration Team can be contacted on 01642 444440.
In addition, the following services can be contacted by telephone:
Customer Services – 01642 774774
Council Tax and Housing Benefit – 01642 774774
Adult Social Care – 07796 394602
Adult Access Team – 01642 065070
Children’s Access Team (MACH) – 01642 130700
School Admissions – 01642 837730 / 01642 837740
Free School Meals – 01642 771106
Social Fund – 07973 665516
Inspire to Learn – 01642 467138
TunedIn – 01642 771243
Families Information Service – 0800 073 8800
Registration Services – 01642 444440
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