The Joint Committee of the London Boroughs of Brent, Lewisham and Southwark is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 17 March 2026. The meeting will receive updates on the Shared Technology Service (STS), including its performance and cybersecurity status. A significant item on the agenda is the formal notice from Southwark Council to exit the shared service partnership.

Shared Technology Service Update

The committee is set to receive an update on the performance of the Shared Technology Service (STS) for the period of November 2025 to February 2026. The report indicates improvements in Service Level Agreement (SLA) performance for priority 3 operational incident issues and maintained SLA performance for priority 4 operational request calls. The STS has also reported achieving one of the lowest numbers of open issues and requests since its inception, despite an increase in its user base. The report details performance across various priority levels, including Priority 1 Major Incidents, where there were 10 incidents related to STS infrastructure during the reporting period. It also covers Priority 2 Serious Issues, Priority 3 General Issues, and Priority 4 Service Requests, providing statistics on call volumes, SLA adherence, and common ticket categories.

The update will also cover onsite support across the three partner councils, detailing visitor numbers, average wait times, and service times at locations such as Southwark Tooley Street and Brent Civic Centre. Telephony support performance and user satisfaction, measured by a new Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) survey, will also be presented. The report highlights ongoing operational service improvements, including the redesign of the Starters, Movers & Leavers process and the automation of Service Desk reports.

Shared Technology Service Cyber Security Update

A separate report will provide an update on the cybersecurity status, threats, and mitigations related to the Shared Technology Services. This includes information on the onboarding of a provider for 24/7 Security Operations Centre monitoring, the development of cybersecurity controls, and work with LOTI¹ on wider security enhancements. The report will also cover progress on cyber security with Microsoft to enhance user identity security and service monitoring capabilities, as well as the ongoing focus on the authentication framework. Emergency planning exercises involving councillor participation are also scheduled. The report will also address a recent cyber security attack that affected a shared IT infrastructure environment across three London Councils not members of the STS, detailing the measures in place within STS to mitigate similar incidents and the assistance offered to the affected boroughs.

Southwark Council's Exit from the Partnership

A key item for discussion is the formal notice issued by Southwark Council on 27 January 2026 to exit the Shared Technology Services (STS) partnership, with an intended completion date of 31 March 2028. The report outlines the mobilisation of a structured exit process, including the appointment of a dedicated Transition Manager for Southwark and the upcoming joint planning session to align a detailed plan covering scope, dependencies, resourcing, milestones, and stakeholder engagement. The exit programme is structured around three core workstreams: People (workforce planning, TUPE considerations), Contracts & Commercial (novation or re-procurement, cost transparency), and Operations (separation of services, technical platforms, support models). Governance arrangements have been confirmed with representation from all councils.

Technology Roadmap and Project Updates

The committee will receive an overview of the Technology Roadmap for 2025-2027 and updates on key STS projects. This includes the ongoing upgrade of laptops to Windows 11 across all three councils, with Brent nearing completion. Other projects include the deployment of server upgrades, SD-WAN connectivity, and the transition to Zero Trust Network Access. Updates will be provided on the replacement of Windows Server 2012 systems, the implementation of Microsoft Defender for Cloud and email security, and the replacement of core network firewalls. The report also details the progress of specific projects such as the Brent SharePoint Migration, MFD Printer replacement, and the Azure Arc roll-out.

Procurement Updates

The committee will be informed about the procurement pipeline for the next 18 months, highlighting that 2026 is expected to be a peak year for contract renewals. The report details significant financial efficiencies achieved through various procurement initiatives, including savings on Printing Services, Telecoms Expense Management Service, Ivanti UWM, and email filtering contracts. Upcoming contract renewals for 2026 across various services such as endpoint protection, automated switchboards, certificate services, and mobile voice and data will also be presented.

Council Updates

Updates from Brent, Lewisham, and Southwark councils on their digital modernisation agendas will be provided. Brent's update includes progress on website outage exercises, laptop rollout completion, Mini PC upgrades, accessibility support improvements, and device management enhancements. Lewisham's update covers improvements to their Housing Portal, Bulky Waste service, and Highways Licensing, as well as efforts to improve digital connectivity. Southwark's update focuses on improving their partnership with STS, expanding infrastructure and connectivity, cybersecurity measures, data and platform modernisation, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) strategy.