The Joint IT Committee (Brent, Lewisham and Southwark) was scheduled to meet on Tuesday 25 November 2025 to discuss the performance of the Shared ICT Service, updates to the Inter-Authority Agreement, and Southwark Council's intent to exit the partnership. The committee was also scheduled to receive an update on cyber security.

Here's a breakdown of the key items from the Agenda Pack:

Southwark Council's Partnership Exit

The committee was to note that Southwark Council had expressed its intention to leave the Shared Technology Services (STS) partnership. According to the agenda pack, the rationale for this decision was linked to a wider recommissioning exercise, an overall reduction of STS services over time, significant financial pressures, and a plan to consolidate IT, Digital, and Resident Experience into a single function.

The Public Reports Pack stated that once formal notice was received, a transition team would be established to work with all partners to develop a comprehensive plan. This plan would address TUPE¹ implications, contract novations, and the transfer of relevant documentation, tools, and security credentials. The aim would be a gradual handover to limit any impact on council services.

Shared Technology Services Update

The Joint Committee was scheduled to receive an update on the performance of the Shared Technology Services (STS). This included:

• Service Level Performance: An overview of service level agreement (SLA) performance between June and September 2025, including improvements in priority 3 (P3) operational incident issues and the maintenance of priority 4 (P4) operational request calls SLA.
• Call Volumes: Details of a steady decline in the volume of open calls within the STS operational queues over the past year, attributed to improvements in infrastructure and the management of older tickets.
• Demand for Services: Discussion of a growing demand for services, with an increase in the number of tickets logged into STS queues, alongside a rise in the number of supported users from 10,500 in 2020 to 12,693 in 2025.
• Major Incidents: Information on the sixteen Priority 1 (P1) incidents related to STS infrastructure during the reporting period (June - September 2025), and the preparation of detailed Major Incident Reports after each incident.
• Onsite Support: An update on onsite support teams across the three partner councils, which handle local on-site support, non-main office site support, starters, movers and leavers (SMaL) processing, and hardware repairs. The report noted that the QMinder system is used to provide a controlled queueing and notification mechanism for users needing face-to-face support at Brent Civic Centre, Lewisham Laurence House, and Southwark Tooley Street.
• Telephony Support: An update on the telephony support provided by Node4, including first-time fix rates and call handling times.
• User Satisfaction: Results from the new Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) survey, which replaced the previous Net Promoter Score (NPS) system.
• Operational Service Improvements: A review of operational enhancements already delivered and those planned for the upcoming period.

Continuous Service Improvement

The committee was scheduled to discuss improvements to the change process, including redesigned change forms, built-in pre-CAB² STS approvals, change stage reportability, and a comms template for changes.

There was also to be a discussion of the redesign of Hornbill, including improvements to opening categories and the development of a new closure code set.

Technology Roadmap and Project Updates

The Joint Committee was to receive an overview of the current status and recent developments across key STS projects, including:

• Windows 11 Laptop Deployment: Updates on the deployment of Windows 11 laptops in Brent, Lewisham, and Southwark, including progress, challenges, and timelines. Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 in October 2025, so this project forms part of STS's transition strategy.
• Laptop Always-On VPN: Updates on the deployment of F5 and the transition to Zero Trust, which offers an improved VPN model.
• Network Upgrades: Information on the implementation of SD-WAN technology to replace the current dedicated leased line site-to-site circuits.
• Windows 2012 Upgrades: An update on the progress of decommissioning or upgrading Windows Server 2012 systems, for which mainstream support ended in October 2023.
• Other Key Projects: Updates on firewall replacement, Azure Arc roll-out, Proof of Value (PoV) Zero Trust, migration of email security to Microsoft Defender, and Network Time Protocol (NTP).

Procurement Updates

The committee was scheduled to discuss the new Procurement Act, which went live on 24 February 2025, and its impact on governance processes and routes to market. This included an increase in the low-value threshold from £25,000 to £30,000.

A Category Strategy for Digital & IT had been developed, identifying leverage opportunities and strategic risks. Social Value clauses had been strengthened to ensure suppliers are contractually obligated to reimburse any undelivered commitments.

The procurement pipeline was analysed, indicating a significant spike in contract renewals in 2026, requiring early planning and resource allocation.

Council Digital Updates

The Joint Committee was scheduled to receive digital updates from each of the three councils:

• Brent: Details of Brent's digital programme, including system upgrades, migrations to new software, digital inclusion support for residents, and deployment of new apps for residents.
• Lewisham: Information on Lewisham's digital initiatives, including the launch of new digital products such as the Customer Portal for Housing, Bulky Waste, Pest Control Treatment, and Housing Disrepair case reporting services.
• Southwark: An overview of Southwark's strategic direction and governance reform, infrastructure and connectivity initiatives, cybersecurity and audit readiness, data and platform modernisation, robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA), and the laptop rollout.

Inter Authority Agreement

The committee was to note some minor revisions to the Inter Authority Agreement (IAA).