UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) 
Strengthening cyber resilience in local government through WARPs
The Warning, Advice and Reporting Point (WARP) meetings bring together information security, assurance, and governance practitioners from local government. Members can receive and share up-to-date advice and information on security threats, incidents, and solutions in a trusted environment.
From September to December 2024, members of the MHCLG Local Digital team attended 10 WARP meetings, where we:
- provided updates on the launch of the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) for local government
- shared our plans to support the sector to ‘Defend as One’
- received insightful feedback from WARP members on how the service can be improved
Building a strong cyber community across the North of England through WARPs
In this testimonial, Billy Smith, Coordinator of North West Warning, Advice and Reporting Point (WARP) and Stakeholder Engagement Manager at iNetwork, shares how a collaboration with partners is benefiting members across the North.
“WARPs are proving to be valuable for building cyber resilience across local government. Our meetings provide an opportunity to learn from interesting speakers, share threat intelligence, and best practice in a safe and secure environment.
“Essentially, the WARPs are about collaboration and mutual support. In the North West, our WARP is part of the Northern WARP which is a collaboration with our partners in Yorkshire and the Humber, and the North East. This partnership has enabled us to deliver a range of events and sessions, as well as the Northern WARP conference.
“MHCLG’s engagement with the WARPs has been impressive. Their receptiveness to feedback, whether positive or negative, and their willingness to engage proves their commitment to improving cyber resilience within local government.
“For councils looking to begin a CAF assessment, they should be aware that this isn’t just a compliance exercise but a tool that can help to coordinate and understand the current cyber security picture in the UK local public sector.”
[Northern WARP Conference]
How to join the North West WARP
The North West Region WARP is offered as part of an iNetwork subscription. Visit the iNetwork website to find out more.
Building a community of trust to transform members’ approaches to cyber resilience
Matt Smith, WARP Operator for Information Security for London (ISfL), South East Government Warning, Advice and Reporting Point (SEG WARP), South West WARP (SW WARP) and the Housing WARP, shares how WARP membership benefits the entire region’s cyber resilience.
“Being part of the WARP is transforming our members’ approach to cyber resilience. By sharing good practice in a safe environment, we have built a community of trust where our members can seek help, advice, and discuss information which can often be of a highly sensitive nature.
The learning opportunities that come from being part of a WARP cannot be underestimated. Over the years in my role as WARP Operator, I have seen that WARP membership is not only good for your own council’s cyber resilience, but for the entire region as a whole.
I have found that MHCLG’s direct involvement with the WARPs have provided them with the opportunity to update local government cyber professionals in a way that they have not had before. Their CAF for local government assessment makes a lot of sense as it’s a realistic way for councils to improve their cyber resilience, and address their vulnerabilities. In addition, the development of the Defend as One programme allows MHCLG to have direct communication through the WARP leads to deliver threat intelligence to the WARP communities.”
[ISfL Conference 2024]
Learn more about WARPs
Visit the Socitm website to find out more about joining a WARP in your region.
MHCLG will be attending WARP meetings throughout the year, and we welcome any further feedback on the CAF for local government service. We are also keen to hear from councils about what they need to successfully complete a CAF assessment. You can provide this to us in person at the meetings, or by emailing [email protected].
The initial stages of the CAF for local government are available as part of a phased release, enabling you to start using the tool while we continue to develop it based on feedback.
Learn more on the CAF for local government webpage.
Follow our channels for the latest news:
Categories: Blog posts
Tags: