Title

CRIME

Russian hackers accessed private data, council says

Gloucester City Council has warned residents that some personal information may have been stolen by Russian hackers.

Gloucester City Council has warned residents that some personal information may have been stolen by Russian hackers.

The Cyber attack in December 2021 damaged the council's network and online services.

An investigation by the council and cyber incident response experts concluded that while some personal information ‘may have been taken' criminals have not published anything and are unlikely to in the future.

Seven Russian cyber criminals have been sanctioned by the UK and US Government's in relation to this and other incidents.

Gloucester's managing director, Jon McGinty, said: ‘I share the annoyance of the public that we were targeted in this way; this criminal group targeted our council among other private and public sector organisations to disrupt our public services in an attempt to extort a ransom payment from the council.

‘I am sorry for any concern this announcement may cause residents and members of the public, but would like to emphasise this occurred in December 2021 and, based on advice received from our national law enforcement partners, the council believes it is unlikely that any information taken will be released in the future.'

CRIME

A rights-based case for new homes at Crews Hill and Chase Park

By Holly Lewis | 08 June 2026

Holly Lewis says a rights-based approach to planning can help councils balance local concerns with housing need, ensuring decisions reflect the interests of ...

CRIME

Building trust, capacity and accountability in England's strategic authorities

By Sandy Forsyth | 04 June 2026

To address the complexities in the evolution of strategic authorities, devolution needs to work beyond the traditional metro mayoral model, says Sandy Forsyth.

CRIME

Neighbourhood Guarantee: Can councils deliver the visible improvements residents want?

By Ben Page | 03 June 2026

Ben Page says the Government's Neighbourhood Guarantee focuses on the everyday services residents notice most. But without sustained investment, engagement a...

CRIME

Return of the Extended Ministerial Office?

By David Godfrey | 03 June 2026

Amidst the current calls for civil service reform, David Godfrey asks if Extended Ministerial Offices - as previously introduced in the Department of Communi...

Popular articles by William Eichler