Hart District Council has expanded its cyber security partnership with KHIPU to provide round-the-clock security monitoring aimed at protecting council systems and residents’ data.

The arrangement gives the Hampshire local authority continuous monitoring and threat response without having to build its own in-house security operations centre, a costly model that can be difficult for smaller councils to staff.

Local authorities have become frequent targets for cyber attacks as more public services move online and councils hold large volumes of personal and operational data. For district councils, the challenge is often not recognising the risk but finding the funding and specialist staff needed to maintain a 24-hour cyber defence operation.

Hart’s deal with Fleet-based KHIPU reflects a wider shift among public bodies towards outsourcing parts of their cyber security operations to specialist providers. KHIPU has added six councils to its security monitoring service in the past six months, pointing to growing demand from the sector.

Skills gap

The partnership is intended to supplement Hart District Council’s internal IT team rather than replace it. Under the agreement, KHIPU will continuously monitor systems for suspicious activity and respond to potential threats that could disrupt council services or expose sensitive data.

The model addresses a long-running issue in local government: cyber security expertise is expensive and in short supply, while many councils face budget pressures across core services. Building an internal operation that can monitor networks and systems at all hours requires recruitment, training and retention budgets that smaller authorities often struggle to sustain.

Using an external monitoring service also allows councils to spread costs more predictably, though it increases the importance of supplier oversight, incident processes and clear accountability between the authority and the provider.

Councillor Tony Clarke, portfolio holder for digital and communications at Hart District Council, said: “Protecting council services and our residents’ data is a key priority, and KHIPU’s support is helping us meet those responsibilities in a practical, affordable, and resilient way.”

Local focus

The agreement also has a local economic dimension. KHIPU is based in Fleet, near Hart District Council, and has presented the work as an example of a local authority buying specialist digital services from a nearby supplier rather than looking further afield.

That approach may appeal to councils under pressure to support regional economies while modernising public services, although procurement decisions in the public sector remain driven by cost, compliance and operational need.

Matt Ashman, chief commercial officer at KHIPU, said the contract had significance beyond the commercial relationship itself. “We are incredibly proud to strengthen our relationship with Hart District Council. As a business proudly based in Fleet, working with our own local authority is particularly meaningful. It perfectly demonstrates how investing in specialist capability close to home can drive regional economic development and retain high-value tech expertise within our district.

“Delivering 24×7 security monitoring to local councils is about more than just technology; it’s about protecting residents, vital public services, and sensitive data. We look forward to expanding this partnership and continuing to work together to secure our shared community.”

Sector pressure

The deal comes as councils face a more complex cyber risk environment. Attacks on public bodies can lead to service outages, disrupted communications, delayed transactions and data exposure, with effects that can quickly reach residents who depend on local services.

For smaller authorities, a managed monitoring model offers a way to gain round-the-clock coverage that would otherwise be out of reach. It also reflects the growing concentration of advanced cyber security skills in specialist firms, leaving many public organisations to decide whether to build internal capability, share services with other bodies or contract out key functions.

KHIPU said its services are designed to meet the compliance and security requirements that apply to UK public sector bodies. That matters because local authorities must balance operational resilience with procurement scrutiny, data handling rules and the need to show that external suppliers can meet public sector standards.

The Hart partnership shows how that balancing act is increasingly being managed through outsourced services rather than internal expansion. In a sector where staffing constraints and financial pressure rarely ease at the same time, access to continuous monitoring is becoming less a matter of in-house scale and more a question of whether councils can find a supplier they trust.

JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Employment Hero has published data showing that London workers use artificial intelligence more often and feel more confident using it than workers elsewhere in the UK. The figures also suggest hiring by small and medium-sized businesses in the capital has picked up.

Its UK research found that 54% of workers in London use AI every day, compared with 36% nationally. In the capital, 61% said they considered themselves competent in using AI, against a UK average of 41%.

The regional gap extends beyond headline usage. Daily AI use falls to 34% in the North West and 31% in Yorkshire and the Humber, pointing to a clear divide between London and other parts of the country.

The findings also suggest London workers rely more heavily on the tools. Some 83% said AI had affected the quality of their work, compared with 73% nationally, while 42% said they would struggle to do their job without it.

Jobs rebound

Separate platform data based on payroll activity among SMEs showed employment in London grew 3.3% month on month in June, ahead of the 2.5% national average. Wages in the capital rose 1.9% over the month, taking the median full-time wage to £55,872.

Employment Hero said the capital’s jobs market had weakened sharply in April 2025 and remained subdued until the end of last year. Since the start of 2026, the data shows employment growth has picked up, with June running 4.0% higher than March.

The latest figures add to a wider debate over whether the benefits of AI investment are becoming concentrated in London. The capital has attracted policy attention and funding around AI, but the data suggests workforce familiarity with the technology is not evenly spread across the country.

Skills divide

Workers in London also appear more likely to seek AI training through informal channels. The research found that 78% were learning AI skills on social media, compared with 56% nationally.

Businesses in the capital were slightly more likely to place importance on AI skills. Some 41% of London-based firms said those skills matter, against a national average of 36%.

The survey also linked AI adoption with entry-level hiring. In London, 57% of firms said they had increased entry-level roles over the past two years, the highest share of any region covered by the research, compared with a national average of 50%.

Across the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, businesses with AI at the centre of their operations were more likely to report growth in junior hiring. Among those companies, 62% said they had increased entry-level headcount in the past two years, compared with 30% of businesses that were not AI adopters.

UK business leaders were more likely than those in the other three countries to say AI would increase the need for entry-level roles. Nearly a quarter, or 24%, of UK respondents held that view, compared with 13% in Australia, 15% in Canada and 12% in New Zealand.

The figures come from a survey conducted by Focaldata for Employment Hero covering more than 3,500 UK employers and employees, alongside a wider international study. The jobs data is drawn from 4,599 businesses and 140,829 employees on the company’s platform, reflecting activity in the SME labour market.

Kevin Fitzgerald, UK Managing Director at Employment Hero, said: “London’s jobs market moves fast. A few months ago employment growth in the capital was stalling and today our data shows that SMEs are hiring again.”

He said the research suggested both opportunity and risk in the way AI is spreading through the labour market. “It’s clear that AI is going to play a central role in the future of employment, whether that’s large AI companies choosing to call London home or small businesses leveraging the technology for growth. Our new research shows that Londoners have embraced AI in numbers. That’s great for the capital, but there’s a real risk the rest of the UK gets left behind if that momentum isn’t matched.

“AI isn’t just changing how work gets done, it’s starting to shape where opportunities are too. While London’s role as global AI hub is key, we must also make sure that businesses across the nation have the investment and training needed to build AI-confident workforces.”

NCC Group and Siemens have agreed to collaborate on cyber security for UK critical infrastructure, with a focus on operational technology used across industry, energy and defence.

The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cyber resilience for critical national infrastructure, particularly where information technology systems intersect with operational technology that manages physical processes and assets.

The collaboration combines Siemens’ expertise in industrial automation, control systems and operational technology with NCC Group’s cyber security and resilience services. Support will be aimed at asset owners, operators and supply chains.

Operational technology has become a growing concern for operators of essential services as industrial systems become more connected to corporate networks and external data environments. That convergence has widened the potential attack surface for organisations running energy networks, manufacturing sites, transport systems and defence-related infrastructure.

In the UK, the issue carries broader economic and security implications because disruption to operational technology can affect physical operations, not just data or office systems. Critical infrastructure operators have faced increasing pressure to strengthen defences as cyber threats become more frequent and more sophisticated.

OT focus

The agreement is framed around that shift, with both companies arguing that industrial cyber security now requires a joined-up approach across digital and physical environments. Their plan centres on an end-to-end resilience model that combines industrial systems expertise with cyber security oversight.

Siemens has a long-standing presence in industrial software, automation and control environments used in factories, utilities and infrastructure. NCC Group, which operates internationally in cyber security, has presented the tie-up as a way to address risks earlier in modernisation and connectivity projects.

Paul Hingley, Cyber Security Expert, Siemens UK & Ireland, said: “Organisations responsible for keeping the country powered, connected and secure are under growing pressure to protect not just their IT systems, but the operational technology that controls physical assets on the ground. This collaboration brings together complementary strengths to help customers protect the physical systems that keep the country running.”

The agreement reflects a broader trend across industrial sectors, where cyber security spending is increasingly linked to operational continuity, safety and regulatory expectations. In these environments, the consequences of a cyber incident can extend beyond data loss to outages, equipment disruption and interruptions to essential services.

Shared ambition

The arrangement also points to a closer working relationship between the two businesses on industrial cyber security. They described the threat landscape as large in scale and urgent in nature.

Peter Vorley, Chief Commercial Officer, NCC Group, said: “Cyber resilience is now a fundamental enabler of industrial performance. Our collaboration with Siemens reflects a shared ambition to support organizations as they connect, automate and modernize their operational environments. By combining our strengths, we can help customers move forward faster and more safely, while shaping a more secure digital future for the sector.”

The UK market for industrial cyber security has drawn increasing attention from technology suppliers, consultants and specialist security firms as operators update legacy systems and connect more equipment to digital platforms. That shift has created demand for services that cover both conventional IT security and the specialist requirements of industrial control systems.

Unlike office-based IT environments, operational technology often includes equipment with long life cycles, strict uptime requirements and safety-critical functions. Those characteristics can make patching, monitoring and system changes more complex, especially in sectors where downtime is expensive or unacceptable.

Supply chain exposure is also a factor in industrial security planning, as operators rely on equipment vendors, maintenance providers and software partners that may connect to production or infrastructure environments. The collaboration will also cover support for supply chains alongside asset owners and operators.

Siemens is one of the largest industrial technology groups active in infrastructure and automation markets, while NCC Group has built its business around cyber resilience and software escrow services. NCC Group says it has more than 2,000 employees across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.

The partnership places operational technology security at the centre of efforts to defend critical infrastructure, as cyber threats increasingly affect the systems that run essential services and industrial operations.