Richard LaTulip, a Field Chief Information Security Officer at Recorded Future.
Richard LaTulip
The UK’s proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill represents a significant shift in how the nation approaches ransomware and wider cyber threats, with lasting implications for the public sector. As the government aims to tighten rules around ransomware reporting and payments, organisations are set to face stricter expectations for transparency, incident response, and cyber resilience.
Under the proposed legislation, all public sector and critical national infrastructure bodies could be banned from paying ransomware demands. It would also require organisations to report a ransomware attack within 72 hours, sharing details about the ransomware demand, whether the attackers are identifiable, and resilience capabilities.
The public sector ransomware payment ban is designed to turn essential public services into unattractive targets for cybercrime. Public sector suppliers are also being urged to take action, with NHS England asking suppliers to help tackle the “endemic” threat of ransomware attacks, and a voluntary public charter due to launch later this year.
These changes are positive steps towards improving cyber hygiene, but they cannot replace the need for immediate action. Waiting for the UK to take action is not an option, as cyberattacks are already disrupting public services and pose a mounting threat
A key enabler of ransomware attacks is phishing, especially highly targeted ‘spearphishing’ campaigns that trick employees into handing over access credentials. Criminal groups, like the one behind the widely reported Medusa ransomware, use phishing to gain a foothold in networks, and phishing attempts are often the start of a much more damaging ransomware event. However, public sector organisations can bolster their defences through sophisticated threat intelligence.
Rise in phishing
Relentless risks of cyberattacks have seen organisations make cybersecurity a strategic priority. Technology and software will be deployed to enhance security and protect operations against malicious activity. A by-product of this positive intent is that cyber threats adapt. Rather than spending time and resource trying to crack robustly protected networks, criminals prioritise the exploitation of individuals to obtain genuine user credentials. This form of attack is seen as a more effective route for getting past extensive authentication checks, with a belief amongst attackers that employees are the weakest link in a strong chain of security defences.
The phishing threat landscape is evolving and increasingly becoming ‘sprearphishing’, where attacks are much more targeted and seem even more plausible. Extremely personalised attacks will be directed at specific individuals to deceive them into sharing trusted credentials and confidential information.
Sprearphishing will be carried out via channels such as email, SMS and other messaging platforms, and phone calls. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being exploited by criminals to make these personalised attacks scalable and effective.
AI-powered phishing
Generative AI is often used by threat actors to quickly generate thousands of unique, native language lures. Scam emails seem credible, because the language used appears authentic and less suspicious. For example, email copy may deliberately include typical spelling and grammatical errors in a message, and colloquial terms, so that it appears to originate from a plausible, human source.
It’s also possible for AI to harvest and analyse data about the target of the attack, as well as the supposed party that’s requesting information. This is where spearphishing becomes very personalised. An email received from a supposed senior colleague seems genuine, because it’s able to impersonate a trusted source and contains what appears to be real and relevant references.
Criminals are also using the voice generating and changing capabilities of generative AI to impersonate support services such as an IT helpdesk. The AI contacts an employee and tricks them into divulging confidential and sensitive information. It’s an evolution of a social engineering scam, which takes advantage of an employee’s likely frustration with an IT problem and their willingness to quickly fix problems. The AI voice sounds plausible and builds trust.
A key step for preventing spearphishing attacks is to build awareness amongst employees – they need to know what types of risk they are facing, if they are to prove an effective line of defence. Running simulated attacks can help employees to understand the capabilities of AI and show how it is being used by criminals. It also important to strengthen resilience through faster threat identification and sustained intelligence. Monitoring threat actors and spearphishing campaigns can enable organisations to stay ahead of potential attacks.
Impersonated brands
Phishing techniques are also evolving to spoof widely trusted and well-known brands. Genuine organisations like Microsoft and DocuSign provide products and services used regularly throughout the public sector. Employees interact with these types of platforms on an almost daily basis and, in most cases, won’t think twice about how they use them. Criminals know this and prey on it.
Attackers create sophisticated impersonations of trusted platforms, which seem realistic and genuine. Users are misled by these lookalikes, and what is typically regarded as a safe website to share passwords and credentials, becomes a data-capture exercise for criminals. These types of attacks are evolving with more sophisticated domain impersonations, including lookalike domains and homoglyph attacks that evade traditional email filters.
The threat of phishing is growing and evolving, and it will continue to do so as organisations strengthen their defences against ransomware. With the proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill introducing a tougher stance on ransomware payments and incident reporting, the public sector is under increasing pressure to act now.
Legislation alone will not build resilience. Phishing remains one of the most common and effective ways for ransomware actors to gain initial access. To protect essential services, public sector organisations need to prioritise effective threat intelligence.
Building knowledge of the threat landscape can help to prioritise which phishing attacks pose the most realistic risks of a breach and avoid defences becoming overwhelmed. Informed decisions can be made and proactive steps taken to drive preventative action, helping organisations to stay ahead of potential breaches. Threat intelligence can provide valuable insights that reduce vulnerabilities and lessen the effectiveness of phishing, even when it’s extremely personalised.
As inflation, interest rates and the cost of living continue to test the resilience of UK households, the public sector faces a dual imperative: safeguarding its own financial stability while ensuring that the most vulnerable communities aren’t left behind.
Although the annual inflation rate has eased from its peak – hitting 2.6% in April, which is less than expected and the lowest it has been since 2021 – it still remains stubbornly above the Bank of England’s 2% target and households continue to feel the strain of cumulative economic shocks.
Latest figures report that 20.3 million people are now living in financially vulnerable circumstances across the UK, up by 16% from 17.5 million in 2022. While a number of factors are to blame, persistently high energy costs, rent hikes and soaring food prices are three of the core issues. A growing crisis in public sector rental arrears
This financial tension is particularly evident in the social housing sector, where data shows a sharp and sustained increase in rental arrears.
Our recent Rental Arrears Index revealed a sharp and sustained increase in the number of council-owned housing units falling into arrears. As of March 2024, the average local authority reported more than 4,400 social housing units in rental arrears, up significantly from 3,700 in 2019.
This means that, on average, 41% of council-owned units are now behind on rent – compared to just 35% five years ago. At the same time, the average value of rental arrears per council has surged from £1.8 million to more than £3.1 million.
These numbers are not only a barometer of the cost-of-living crisis and its impact on tenants, but a clear signal that the existing rent collection systems used by local authorities are struggling to keep pace with what is now required of them.
Flexibility as a necessity, not a luxury
An economically turbulent few years have exposed the fragility of many household budgets, while also demonstrating how responsive, compassionate policies – such as mortgage holidays and deferred utility bills – can provide vital and much needed relief during times of financial need.
Flexibility is no longer a hopeful request – it’s a baseline expectation. In the private rental sector, three quarters of landlords are supporting tenants with the rise of cost of living, and the public sector must meet this evolving standard.
After all, allowing residents to manage payments in a way that reflects their own unique circumstances reduces the chance of them falling behind on rental payments, improves cash flow and helps prevent more severe outcomes like homelessness or spiralling debt. To deliver this, more flexible digital tools such as managed planned payments, Open Banking, Direct Debit schedules and automated notifications are key for empowering staff to offer informed, empathetic and adaptable solutions. Digital transformation with inclusion at its core
These tools enable real-time visibility, align payment dates with income cycles, and allow quick adjustments when circumstances change. Just as important, however, is how these processes are communicated to tenants.
A personalised, empathetic approach encourages engagement, and by reframing payment as a shared responsibility, local authorities can build trust and cooperation, rather than driving avoidance and escalation.
The UK is now well on the path to becoming a cashless society, but modernising payments is not just a matter of efficiency – it is a matter of access, dignity and fairness. Digital transformation must not come at the cost of social inclusion.
Around 8.5 million people in the UK still lack the basic digital skills required to confidently navigate online services. This includes some of the most financially vulnerable groups – older people, those on low incomes, or residents in rural areas with poor connectivity – who are most in need of public support.
This is why a true transformation strategy must be inclusive by design. No one should be forced into a digital channel they are not equipped to use.
The time to act is now
For too long, the public sector has grappled with outdated infrastructure and fragmented systems. Every day, residents fall further behind on their rent payments because they can’t navigate rigid systems that don’t meet them where they are.
Secure, simple and adaptive payment solutions can empower residents to stay on top of their obligations, rather than feeling overwhelmed by them. They can also free up public sector staff from time-intensive manual processes, enabling them to focus on the human work of service and support.
The public sector doesn’t just have an opportunity to lead. It has a duty to. By embedding agility, compassion and innovation into the way payments are collected, a source of friction can be transformed into a channel for trust, inclusion and stability.
There’s not a council in the country today that’s free from significant financial stress. The LGA says that one in 10 councils has already discussed receiving emergency support from the government. Many more are struggling to secure sufficient financial resources to meet their budgetary obligations, or even to deliver the basic essential services. Yet still local authorities and other social landlords are being asked to spearhead regional economic growth, develop new towns, and pay for fire safety, low carbon and healthy home retrofits too.
Clive Feeney
In many ways, today’s current economic situation is very similar to the post-war years – with the need for significant reconstruction of our housing and infrastructure assets against the backdrop of slow economic growth and challenging decisions regarding spending priorities.
From that history, there are lessons we can learn. Because it was just 20 years after the war that 13 London authorities, from Richmond upon Thames and Harrow in the west to the Corporation of London in the east, came together for the first time to pool resources and to try a new approach to finding the quality building and construction services they needed to revitalise their boroughs.
Their meeting notes show they talked about creating common social and technical standards. Of coordinating industrialised and standards-based build programmes. And of serial contracts for the bulk purchase of components. Contracts that would help create much-needed economies of scale and make these programmes affordable.
This was the creation of London Housing Consortium, now part of the LHC Procurement Group, and almost 60 years since their first meeting, we are still helping local authorities and social landlords to achieve their needs.
Of course, today’s public sector procurement frameworks are much more sophisticated in their ambitions. The introduction of Gold Standard verification for frameworks in the last few years, for example, along with brand new legislation in the Procurement Act and related policy in other parts of the UK, now puts issues like social value and sustainability front and centre.
But let’s not lose sight of the fundamental financial reasons why cooperation and collaboration via framework providers makes so much sense. Heaven knows, the economic drivers are as vital today as they were at the beginning.
Frameworks are created to help buyers – usually called ‘contracting authorities’ or clients – procure goods and services from a list of pre-approved suppliers, with agreed terms and conditions and legal protections. A framework provider, like LHCPG, helps with the process.
For all public sector bodies, frameworks can be one of the most efficient and effective ways to save both time and money across a wide range of construction and maintenance projects.
In our experience, there are five key areas in which frameworks help public sector bodies to save money:
Reducing technical and administration costs, eliminating the need for teams of people (including expensive lawyers and consultants) to repeat tender processes and deal with the day-to-day assessments, technical checks, contracts and paperwork.
Making the procurement process more streamlined and simplified, as so much of the process is standardised, repeatable at scale and optimised for maximum efficiency. This can also lead to quicker project completion which, in the case of retrofit and maintenance work in particular, can have a fast financial payback to a registered social landlord.
Improving value for money, through pre-negotiated terms and conditions, often including discounts, volume rebates or added value services to support local communities. Not-for-profit framework providers like LHCPG also ensure any surplus made during the year is reinvested in the local area. Ours is offered back to our members in the form of a rebate that can be spent on local, community projects that deliver genuine social value – a key driver for today’s socially focussed public sector and a recommendation in the new Procurement Act.
Encouraging collaboration between clients and establishing centralised buying, which delivers those economies of scale I was referring to earlier. Also, collaboration between clients and suppliers so that long-term relationships can be built and best practice agreed, troubleshooting any problems quickly and ensuring a successful project for all.
Providing more efficient access to local SME suppliers who will offer clients a careful balance of the best service, the highest quality work to recognised industry standards, and the most competitive price.
Why make procurement difficult? With construction projects, many public sector bodies may lack the technical knowledge or simply the resources to undertake the full-blown procurement process alone, which is why they often turn to framework providers for support. So, in the face of continued economic challenges, I urge every local authority chief executive and housing team to look afresh at how LHCPG’s Gold Standard-verified frameworks can help streamline processes, minimise paperwork, and leverage collective buying power to secure better prices. By doing so, we can achieve substantial cost savings and deliver significant social value to our communities.
By: Matt Croucher, Chief Commercial Officer at electric vehicle (EV) charge point operator (CPO), Believ, discusses how transport planning professionals can play their part in driving forward EV charging infrastructure rollout, and what the next few years will bring.
Matt Croucher
Tell us a bit about your career, and what brought you to EV charging?
For almost two decades, I worked as transport planning consultant specialising in sustainable transport. I was fortunate to be involved in a broad range of projects, from designing bus stations, to setting up car clubs and monitoring air quality for schools.
I became involved in planning EV charging infrastructure in the 2000s, when the renewable energy industry was growing rapidly, but EVs were still in their infancy. Realising we were soon going to be able to power cars and other vehicles with clean renewable energy, with all the benefits that brings, made it clear to me that electrification was going to be key to the future of any clean transport policy.
Reducing our dependency on private vehicles, and helping the general public to drive less, is a crucial part of sustainable transport planning. Wherever possible, I would always advocate the sustainable travel hierarchy, where walking, cycling and public transport are given priority over driving. However, car usage still makes up 60% of all UK trips, and 78%* of distance travelled, and realistically will always hold a significant share of our journeys nationally, even in the most optimistic future scenarios. The electrification of transport is therefore essential to reducing CO2 emissions by moving away from fossil fuels.
But it wasn’t until I managed an EV project on behalf of Transport for London, and later became the Zero Emission lead for WSP, that EV charging became my career priority. One of my core tasks was to help local authorities, transport agencies or landowners in developing their EV strategies, and in particular, to forecast future infrastructure requirements. It was in this last role that I led the development of a forecasting tool to predict the UK’s charge point infrastructure need and became increasingly specialised in this area.
How has your planning experience influenced your EV charging infrastructure career?
It greatly influenced my choice of employer. For me, Believ stood out because it is hardware agnostic, giving it the flexibility to install any speed of charge point; that appealed to the transport planner in me. It meant we could offer a solution based on the individual needs of the landowner, the site and its average driver dwell times. Getting this right is essential to ensuring charging infrastructure serves existing EV drivers and attracts others to make the transition.
I was also attracted to Believ’s industry-leading backing and the unique relationship it has with its delivery partner, Virgin Media O2. This was important to me because with contracts typically lasting up to 20 years, I knew our partners need confidence that their partners can be relied upon in the long term.
I continue to draw on the transport planning fundamentals in my role as Chief Commercial Officer at Believ, including my focus on understanding travel behaviours, modelling demand and planning transport infrastructure investments. Taking a data-led approach to help us install future-proofed infrastructure.
How long have you been at Believ and what have been your highlights?
I joined Believ in 2022 and was promoted to Chief Commercial Officer in 2024. The new role was designed to strengthen the leadership of Believ’s rapidly growing number of people and teams and ensure we are all aligned to the same commercial goals.
Last year was incredibly rewarding as we saw Believ’s personnel head count and socket numbers double in size, and our private sector team break into new markets. Another major highlight was the successful negotiation of the joint deal with the London boroughs of Redbridge and Newham Councils and Uber to fund and install more than 1,000 charge points across East London. Utilisation has been very high, and it is a great example of private and public industries working together to serve a public need and accelerate the EV charging rollout.
What do the next five years look like for the EV charging industry?
After a period of wide-spread delays in the public sector’s EV charging rollouts, LEVI funding has now been allocated and tenders are out, and we will see around 100,000 charge points commissioned this year. Putting this into context, at the end of April 2025 the UK had 79,654 public chargers installed which provided 114,700 sockets**, so the next couple of years should see a steep acceleration in infrastructure deployment.
This year is proving to be a very significant year for the charge point industry, with CPOs under pressure to deliver on what they promise, and the importance of financial backing, delivery capacity and experience coming to the fore. Drivers will see a very tangible increase in charge point infrastructure visibility – which will be incredibly positive in persuading them to make the switch.
If you had two wishes that would help accelerate the rollout of EV charging, what would they be?
Continued funding by Government to support recruiting local authority EV personnel, not only the officers directly responsible for the EV infrastructure itself, but also across procurement and legal departments – where at present you often see delays and back logs of up to 12 months.
Improved data sharing by DNOs (distribution network operators) to better enable planning and site design. Whilst things are improving, large areas of the network still lack good quality digitised mapping. We can’t build infrastructure without a connection to the power grid, and you see instances where a site is chosen, commercials are agreed and then there is a wait of up to two years for a connection.
Lastly, what EV do you drive? And how do you find the public charging experience?
I have a Cupra Born, which I love. I’ve had an EV for six years now and could never imagine going back; for me it provides a superior driving experience in every way.
The charging experience is sadly still mixed. Most of the time things work and are straight forward, but even if it is only one occasion in ten that there is a hiccup, it can still be very inconvenient and frustrating. While there is still a way to go to achieve country-wide convenience, there are lots of passionate and committed professionals working on it, and I have every confidence that in the not-too-distant future, we will have a first-class charging network. You could say, I believ.
Millions more Brits arriving in the Algarve are set to benefit from eGates ahead of the summer holidays. The change was confirmed by the Portuguese authorities.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for EU Relations, told GPSJ:
“This is great news for sun-seeking Brits heading on holiday to the Algarve this summer. And that is on top of the wider deal we secured which is good for jobs, good for bills and good for borders.”
Millions of passengers from the UK travelled through Faro Airport last year.
The roll out in Faro follows close working with airport authorities in recent weeks. And the Government hopes more countries will follow suit, as it continues to push for EU member states to open the use of eGates at airports.
At the UK-EU Summit last month, the UK and EU made clear that there were no legal barriers to even more EU countries allowing British nationals to use e-gates at airports.
The deal with the EU, agreed on 19 May, delivers on the Government’s core mission to grow the economy, back British jobs and put more money in people’s pockets, and is expected to bring £9 billion to the UK economy by 2030.
And alongside providing further legal clarity to members states on UK access to eGates, the deal will slash red tape for business, protect UK steel from EU rules and tariffs and bring greater control to our borders, with increased data sharing to catch dangerous criminals quicker.
We all want travel to be secure, safe, and easy. But as traveler numbers surge to record highs and governments aim to unlock tourism’s full economic power, border agencies face a critical challenge: how do you handle rising demand without compromising security?
This week, European and global leaders in border security, technology, and policy meet in Tallinn, Estonia, to tackle exactly that.
Andy Smith
Europe’s in-tray is full. From large-scale migration to evolving security threats, the continent’s unique geographic and cultural diversity demands solutions that balance security with the need to keep legitimate trade and travel flowing.
Demand is booming, are borders keeping up?
Travel and tourism are the lifeblood of European prosperity. And they’re only growing. Last year, passenger numbers across Europe soared nearly 10%, with capacity up by more than 9%, according to IATA.
In response, European airports are investing billions to expand and modernize. Governments, too, are stepping in to back infrastructure improvements. But shiny new terminals alone won’t deliver the benefits, not unless border systems evolve alongside them.
From static to smart: why border modernization matters
Border security can’t lag behind. It needs to embrace the same tech-driven advancements shaping traveler expectations and responding to today’s fast-moving threats.
Right now, many passengers face long queues and repeated document checks, with IATA reporting over 70% encounter delays. That’s frustrating for travelers and a strain on agency resources, especially when most people pose no risk.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Digitalized, interoperable, and dynamic borders can transform the experience, letting governments adapt policies and procedures in real time, strengthen security, and boost their country’s appeal as a destination for trade, tourism, and investment.
Integration is the key
Effective border management is never just one agency’s job. It brings together immigration, customs, public health, intelligence, and law enforcement. Siloed systems create gaps and inefficiencies; integrated systems, on the other hand, offer a unified, real-time view of travelers and goods, allowing faster, smarter decisions and keeping resources focused where they matter most.
Creating a better border experience
By using secure digital identities and pre-clearing travelers before they even arrive, border agencies can reduce congestion and speed up processing. And because the border experience shapes a visitor’s first and last impression, improving it also strengthens a country’s global image.
Start small, scale big
The path forward doesn’t require sweeping overnight change. In fact, the most successful transformations often start small, with modular, collaborative approaches.
Digital travel credentials (DTCs) are a prime example. Worldwide, demand for faster, contactless processes is skyrocketing, with over 60% of passengers saying they’d pay for a DTC. In Aruba, a DTC pilot cut border processing time to just eight seconds, while improving data accuracy and compliance.
Immediate wins, long-term gains
Governments can make meaningful progress by tackling immediate pain points now while laying the groundwork for broader transformation. It’s about asking: what can we improve today with minimal disruption, and how does that fit into the bigger vision of a fully digital, integrated, and secure border?
Thoughtful, incremental action builds momentum for larger change.
Building the borders of the future
Borders will always be about managing risk. But by rethinking how people, goods, and information move across them, European governments can create systems that are not just more secure, but also more efficient, adaptable, and aligned with the needs of a fast-changing world. Crucially, these systems can balance the demands of security with the economic benefits of growing travel and tourism.
Andy Smith is Director for Industry & Innovation at SITA, the global air transport industry-owned IT-tech organization that works with over 75 governments— including every G20 nation — to modernize airport and border operations.
The International Border Management and Technologies Association (IBMATA), a not-for-profit international NGO committed to the safe and secure movement of people and goods across international borders, holds its Border Management & Technologies Summit Europe 2025 in Tallinn from 4-6 June.
FourNet’s IntellAIgent uses Agentic AI to transform front and back-office customer service operations in seconds, with personalised, complex, context-aware automations
Digital transformation and customer experience specialists, FourNet, today announced the launch of FourNet IntellAIgent, an Agentic AI platform, designed to enable businesses to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and accelerate AI-driven transformation.
FourNet IntellAIgent is an innovative, artificial intelligence-powered, automation platform which allows organisations to create their own intelligent digital employees (AI Agents).
IntellAIgent is a significant leap forward in contact centre technology, able to think and adapt.
Where traditional automation tools such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) fail, IntellAIgent is able to launch and manage complex tasks using multiple platforms and systems such as appointment scheduling, back and forth with customers on different channels, diary entries, responding to real-time scheduling changes, and CRM updates – all without the need for human intervention.
It uses what is known as ‘Agentic AI’ to make autonomous, complex and dynamic decisions and automate any digital workflow, learning as it goes.
Agentic AI combines advanced machine learning, natural language understanding and contextual awareness to create truly autonomous systems that can handle complex business processes with human-like intelligence. In comparison, traditional automation and rules-driven AI follow rigid pathways and struggle with complexity and unpredictable scenarios.
Unlike traditional automation tools which are based on Boolean logic, linear decision trees and rely on human input, FourNet’s AI Agentsolution operates autonomously, adapting to dynamic business needs, handling complex, unstructured data and personalises every customer facing interaction with context-aware, natural conversations.
Richard Pennington, CEO at FourNet said: “FourNetIntellAIgent marks the next evolution in contact centre technology. Our AI-powered agent can do in seconds what it would take a human agent to do in hours or days, and which Gen AI couldn’t handle.
“As many businesses face tighter budgets with fewer employees, IntellAIgent will help organisations across every sector to do more with less, while coping with rising customer expectations.”
Key features of FourNet IntellAIgent include:
Intelligent Decision Making: IntellAIgent is a tireless, intelligent team member that handles repetitive tasks, makes smart decisions, and learns over time.
Multi-Channel Integration: IntellAIgent seamlessly manages customer interactions across various channels, including voice, email, and messaging platforms.
Real-Time Analytics Integration: IntellAIgent makes data-driven decisions as customer interactions unfold.
300+ pre-built integrations– from CRMs like Salesforce, SAP, and Zendesk to communication platforms such as Twilio, Amazon Connect, and Genesys Cloud, IntellAIgent seamlessly connects to the tools businesses already use. It also integrates with the latest Large Language Models from OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Anthropic, ensuring cutting-edge AI capabilities.
James Brooks, Practice Lead for AI and Automation at FourNet, added: “Anyone who has witnessed the technology working at such incredible speed through so many tasks cannot fail to be spectacularly impressed. Forget chatbots, forget RPA which require decision trees and human input, IntellAIgent is way more clever, adaptive and efficient – it’s like automation on acid!”
“By deploying an AI-powered agent that can think, act and learn, we are now enabling organisations big and small to deliver superior customer experience in the blink of an eye, while significantly improving their operational efficiency.”
FourNet has today also launched the IntellAIgent Challenge to discover the most complex task IntellAIgent can handle. To find out more, and learn about FourNet IntellAIgent, please visit www.fournet.co.uk
Focusing on delivering great user experiences and driving operational evolution
Appointing Anna Jackson as its new Chief Operating Officer, training and compliance expert, TTC Group, has reconfirmed its focus on delivering the best possible experiences to employees, customers and prospective customers. With a proven track record of driving operational excellence, Anna is perfectly placed to develop group functions to best support the business as it continues to grow its people risk management solutions in the Fleet, Construction and Healthcare sectors.
Anna Jackson
With more than 20 years of extensive leadership experience, Anna has led successful transformations across global operations of varying sizes and complexities. In her new COO role, Anna will work closely with the Managing Directors of each of the TTC Group businesses to drive revenue growth, integrate new acquisitions into the group and develop group functions to support the business plan. She will also drive the adoption of best practices and technology to optimise operations and enhance performance, developing and maintaining TTC Group’s culture as the company evolves across existing and new markets.
Expressing her enthusiasm for joining TTC Group, Anna Jackson commented: “The opportunity to be part of a successful and diversifying business, backed by private equity investment and a clear growth strategy, is incredibly exciting. I am particularly drawn to the chance to drive operational evolution and change programs while fostering a culture of high performance within TTC Group. My experience across various sectors, coupled with my understanding of both large corporate, SME and Private Equity environments, aligns perfectly with the challenges and opportunities at the expanding TTC Group. I am delighted to join the TTC family and play a part in the company’s continued success.”
Dave Marsh, CEO of TTC Group added, “We are thrilled to welcome Anna to TTC Group. Her deep expertise in operational leadership and her genuine passion for creating and building ambitious teams and workplace cultures will be invaluable as we continue to expand and diversify our business. We look forward to seeing how Anna transforms TTC operations to deliver market-leading employee and customer experiences and business growth.”
By Euan Durston, Regional Director and Passivhaus Designer at ECD Architects
Euan Durston
The UK government’s commitment to improving energy efficiency in social housing has taken a significant step forward with the recent announcement of substantial financial support through the National Wealth Fund (NWF) and The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC). This initiative, which provides £150 million in debt facilities for retrofitting, with plans to expand to £250 million in the coming months, represents a watershed moment for local authorities and housing associations striving to meet sustainability targets, while addressing fuel poverty among residents.
As specialists in low environmental impact architecture and retrofit design, our team has identified three crucial pillars that underpin successful social housing retrofits: People, Performance, and Passivhaus principles. Understanding how these elements interconnect can help public sector organisations maximise the potential of these new funding opportunities.
Putting Residents at the Centre of Retrofit Strategies
Retrofitting occupied homes presents unique challenges, requiring thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation. Unlike new builds, these projects must balance technical requirements with the daily needs of residents who cannot be easily relocated during works.
Our recent collaboration with Cambridge City Council to deliver a Net Zero Retrofit for 50 homes, demonstrates the effectiveness of resident-centred approaches. Working with poorly insulated 1930s housing stock, we developed strategies that minimised disruption, while implementing energy performance improvements. Keeping residents informed and involved throughout the process proved essential to project success.
When undertaking deep retrofits in occupied homes, the focus must shift to external interventions wherever possible. For example, insulating at roof rafter level, rather than loft level, and applying external floor insulation rather than removing internal kitchen floors, allows residents to maintain their living spaces with minimal disruption.
Regular consultation between residents, council representatives, and our technical team ensured clear communication about work schedules and expected outcomes. This transparency helped residents understand how improvements would directly benefit them through increased comfort and reduced energy bills.
Evidence-Based Performance Assessment
The new government-backed loans require evidence of how retrofit measures will improve energy efficiency and reduce heating emissions. This makes comprehensive pre-retrofit performance assessment invaluable.
In our Cambridge project, we conducted thorough baseline assessments, including energy bill analysis, EPC certification, and air-tightness testing. Specialist monitoring determined heat loss rates and analysed temperature and humidity profiles to identify condensation and mould risks. This detailed understanding of building performance informed our selection of appropriate technologies and materials.
Post-completion monitoring is equally important, creating a complete picture of performance improvements that can be used for reporting outcomes to providers of funds. This evidence-based approach also identifies components of existing houses that remain serviceable, supporting circular economy principles and reducing project costs.
Understanding the starting point is critical for designing effective interventions. Data-backed designs not only deliver better outcomes, but also strengthen funding applications by demonstrating clear pathways to improvement.
Leveraging Passivhaus Standards for Quality Assurance
The Passivhaus Standard and its retrofit counterpart, EnerPhit, provide internationally recognised frameworks for delivering high-performance, comfortable, and energy-efficient buildings. These standards are increasingly adopted in the public sector because they address multiple challenges simultaneously: improving comfort, reducing energy consumption, minimising carbon emissions, and eliminating common building problems like condensation and mould.
As certified Passivhaus designers, we utilise the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) to model energy performance at each project stage. This iterative process informed our Cambridge retrofit specifications, including external wall insulation, triple-glazed windows, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and air-source heat pumps.
The independent certification process inherent in Passivhaus standards helps close the performance gap between design intentions and built reality. This delivers housing that performs as predicted – a crucial factor when applying for government-backed retrofit loans that require demonstrated improvements.
In essence, the rigour of Passivhaus principles ensures that investments in retrofit deliver genuine, long-term benefits. The focus on building physics and quality assurance throughout construction means these homes will maintain their performance for decades.
Meeting Government Targets Through Strategic Retrofits
With the government targeting Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of Band C as a minimum for social housing, strategic retrofit programmes are becoming essential for local authorities and housing associations, and the new loan facilities from the NWF provide competitive, unsecured lending that can finance comprehensive improvements, including:
Low carbon heating systems
Enhanced insulation packages
Mechanical ventilation systems
Renewable energy installations
Smart heating controls
These interventions, when approached through our three-pillar framework, deliver homes that are more comfortable, healthier, and significantly less expensive to heat – directly addressing fuel poverty concerns, while meeting carbon reduction targets.
Looking Forward
The expansion of government-backed retrofit funding to potentially £1 billion represents a significant opportunity for the public sector. By focusing on people-centred approaches, evidence-based performance assessment, and trusted standards like Passivhaus, local authorities can make the most of these financial resources.
Our experience with Cambridge City Council demonstrates that even challenging 1930s housing stock can be transformed with the right approach. As the government continues to support social housing improvements, we remain committed to helping public sector clients navigate the technical and practical challenges of large-scale retrofit programmes.
Public sector organisations interested in exploring retrofit options that align with new funding opportunities are encouraged to consider how these three pillars might shape their approach to housing improvement programmes.
Imagine starting your workday in the public sector: battling through a maze of outdated systems, juggling incompatible platforms, and spending far too much time navigating digital tools. From document management to HR systems, procurement tools to internal comms, digital sprawl is the invisible time-thief, and it costs more than mere minutes.
Over 25% of UK government digital systems are now considered outdated. In a rare admission of the scale of the problem, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology recently revealed that failures caused by legacy systems cost taxpayers an eye-watering £45 billion annually.
Outdated systems are holding you back
These systems aren’t just old, they’re obstructive. As Swagath Bandhakavi noted in Tech Monitor (January 2025), “Many public sector organisations continue to rely on outdated legacy systems, which can significantly impede digital transformation efforts. These systems often lack flexibility, have high maintenance costs, and can be vulnerable to security threats.”
Productivity suffers when tech Is fragmented
At Workspace 365, we wanted to quantify the true cost of this digital friction. In our 2025 survey of over 1,000 employees working in UK organisations with 250+ staff, the message was clear: fragmented technology is hurting productivity. 59% of respondents said their organisation should prioritise simplifying the digital workplace to improve output, a figure that rose to 65% among employees in large organisations with more than 5,000 staff.
When technology drives talent away
This fragmented tech environment isn’t just inconvenient. It makes basic tasks harder, demotivates employees, and adds friction across every workflow. In an overstretched public sector, every wasted minute matters, and so does every lost employee.
Employee retention, often viewed as an HR concern, has become a digital issue. Our research found that 24% of employees would consider leaving their job due to overly complex internal IT systems. A further 35% said they might look elsewhere. Combined, nearly 6 in 10 employees are at risk of walking away, not because of the work itself, but because the tools aren’t up to the task.
Big budgets, slow progress
This is especially alarming given the scale of the UK public sector’s digital investment. Annual spending on digital technology exceeds £26 billion, and the sector employs nearly 100,000 digital and data professionals. Even conservative National Audit Office estimates place digital spending at a minimum of £14 billion per year. And yet, despite this investment, the pace of transformation often lags behind the urgency.
IT simplification in the UK Public Sector
Workplace Insight notes that while the UK government has reaffirmed its commitment to becoming a tech-first public sector, major barriers remain: widespread skills shortages and persistent reliance on legacy infrastructure continue to slow progress. The £2 billion earmarked for IT upgrades in the NHS is a step forward, but in many areas, transformation is still playing catch-up.
A significant 60% of healthcare professionals we surveyed believe their organisation should invest in simplifying the digital workplace to improve productivity.
An impressive benchmark
Still, change is underway. The Digital Development Strategy 2024–2030 sets the vision for modernising infrastructure across the public sector, incorporating cloud services, AI, and digital public infrastructure to enhance service delivery and efficiency. Complementing this is the Government Cloud First policy, now in its twelfth year, which mandates public bodies to consider cloud solutions as their default. Today, around 60% of public sector IT systems have migrated to the cloud, an impressive benchmark even compared to private sector adoption.
The savings opportunity and real-world results
The Ministry of Justice offers a compelling example. By moving to the cloud, they’ve streamlined operations, improved collaboration, and reduced reliance on legacy tools, demonstrating the tangible benefits of simplification in action.
More than half (56%) of healthcare employees told us they desire a centralised location for accessing tools, applications, and documents without the need to switch systems.
According to Public Technology (Feb 2025), full-scale digitisation of the public sector could unlock savings and productivity gains equivalent to 4–7% of total public sector spending. It’s a staggering figure, and it points to one conclusion: digital transformation isn’t just an efficiency play. It’s one of the most powerful levers available to modernise and reform public services.
A simpler, smarter workplace
Getting there means taking deliberate, strategic steps. Successful organisations are:
Conducting digital audits to assess the current digital landscape and identify bottlenecks. This allows for more effective use of resources by pinpointing problematic systems and manual processes. The insights also support strategic planning, enabling evidence-based digital transformation aligned with agency goals.
Digital audits also support risk mitigation by identifying security vulnerabilities and compliance risks early, helping reduce the chances of data breaches or regulatory penalties.
Implementing cloud-first procurement policies enables agencies to quickly adapt to changing demands without heavy infrastructure investment. They can reduce upfront costs through pay-as-you-go models, and deploy services faster. This approach also supports better collaboration across departments and contributes to sustainability goals by minimising reliance on physical data centers.
By connecting data and workflows across departments, agencies can eliminate redundant processes, improve accuracy, and detect anomalies more effectively. Automation also ensures consistent compliance and reduces duplication, waste, and fraud.
By creating a cohesive digital workplace focused on ease of use, public sector organisations can make better-informed decisions, reduce duplication of effort, and deliver services with greater confidence, speed, and consistency.
Forbes Solicitors has announced that partner Chris Booth will lead its newly formed Public Sector division, as the firm completes a restructure to fulfil its ambition of being the number one regional law firm with a national reach.
Chris, who has been part of the Forbes family since 2002, steps up from his previous role as Head of Insurance to lead a team of over 100 professionals who make up the Public Sector division.
Kella Bowers takes over the Head of Insurance role from Chris Booth, with Alastair Gillespie promoted to Head of Abuse and Social Care within the division’s Insurance department. The insurance and care departments work across both the public and private sectors.
They join existing heads of department in the division, who are Catherine Kennedy, Head of Housing and Regeneration (Property), Siobhan Hardy, Head of Housing and Regeneration (Litigation), Jonathan Holden, National Head of Employment and Education, and Daniel Milnes, Partner, Governance & Procurement.
The changes follow the creation of three specialist divisions at the 200-year-old law firm, with the Public Sector division joining the Commercial division, led by Emma Swan, and the Consumer division, led by Adam Bromley. Each of the three divisional leaders is a ‘Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer’ and share more than 60 years’ experience between them advising SMEs, public sector organisations and individuals.
Forbes’ Public Sector division has, within its roster of clients, over 100 registered providers of social housing, more than 60 local authorities and numerous education establishments, as well as many leading insurers and brokers. The divisional team provides expert advice covering an array of legal matters, including specialist areas such as health and safety, employment, occupational and industrial disease, and data protection.
Commenting on his new role, Chris Booth said: “We’re proud to have relationships with public sector clients stretching back over the last 50 years. These relationships are built on a deep understanding of the complexities and opportunities facing organisations and providing expert support that helps them to navigate fast-changing circumstances and regulations. Our new team structure will enable us to strengthen this proposition through even richer sector knowledge allied to our renowned people-first services.
“Many public sector bodies are facing a multitude of pressures. There are expectations to enhance service standards and users’ satisfaction, while addressing financial challenges and carefully managing the risks of an increasingly litigious society. Addressing this dynamic requires dedicated expertise – a factor that our new structure champions.”
The new divisional team structure is the inspiration and vision of Forbes Solicitors’ Managing Partner, Pauline Wild, who commented: “Chris and his departmental heads are all highly experienced professionals with an in-depth appreciation of how legal challenges can manifest and quickly diversify in the public sector. They personify the levels of service and ways of working that set Forbes apart as being more than law and their strategic leadership will drive the development of our Public Sector division.
“Our new divisional structure fosters collaboration across each of the teams and creates opportunities for everyone to thrive, so they can truly focus on delivering what clients need. This requires strong and empathetic leadership in each division and will drive our growth.”
Professor Glenda Cook, Director of the Better Living in Later Life Research Group at Northumbria University and spokesperson for Stiltz Homelifts, issues a stark warning:
“Ignoring the housing needs of our ageing population is no longer an option. Change is not only overdue—it is critical.”
Britain faces a demographic time bomb that demands immediate and sustained action. Around 13 million citizens—nearly one in five—are aged 65 and over. By 2050, this proportion will rise to one in four. Yet despite the scale of this demographic shift, our housing stock and community infrastructure remain dangerously ill-equipped to support an ageing society.
Professor Glenda Cook
At present, hundreds of thousands of older adults face an unacceptable choice: remain in homes that no longer meet their needs or leave behind familiar surroundings for specialist accommodation. Already, 440,000 individuals have moved into care homes—many reluctantly—raising a fundamental question: Is this truly the best solution Britain can offer?
The Health Secretary, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, has recognised this challenge, pledging to strengthen community-based care to reduce reliance on hospitals and residential homes. However, achieving this vision requires more than funding promises; it necessitates a fundamental rethinking of how government, families, and communities support older people’s right to age in place.
The urgency is stark: only 9% of UK homes meet the most basic accessibility standards. Features such as level thresholds, wider doorways, and accessible bathrooms, which can significantly prolong independent living, remain rare. Under current planning regulations, these features are not mandatory for new builds. Without decisive policy intervention, this shortfall will only deepen.
Why does this matter? For older citizens, a home is not merely a physical structure—it is an anchor of identity, mental well-being, and community connection. Research shows that over 40% of Britons see their home as central to their mental health, while 60% state they would feel ‘devastated’ if forced to relocate. Losing a familiar home often results in severing social ties, with evidence suggesting such disruption can accelerate cognitive decline and physical deterioration and drive up both NHS and social care costs.
The good news is that solutions are available and affordable if implemented proactively. Future-proofing homes—through adaptations such as accessible bathrooms, level access, and modern home lifts—can be significantly less costly than prolonged residential care. However, awareness of these options remains low, and financial support through the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is insufficient and overly restrictive. Renters, in particular, face serious barriers, often unable to secure necessary adaptations.
To address this, urgent reforms are needed. The government must expand eligibility and significantly increase funding for grants that support home adaptations, ensuring interventions are proactive rather than crisis-driven. New housing developments should be mandated to incorporate age-friendly design features as a standard requirement, aligning with the government’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes. It is also essential to support private sector innovation and raise public awareness about the availability and benefits of adaptation technologies that can extend independent living. In parallel, efforts must strengthen community infrastructure, ensuring that older citizens remain socially connected and actively engaged within their local communities.
This is not merely a matter of individual well-being but a national economic imperative. Keeping older people healthy, independent, and connected reduces demands on health and social care services and strengthens community resilience.
Britain cannot afford complacency. Ageing in place must be recognised as a societal priority, integral to public health strategy, housing policy, and community planning. Delivering dignity, independence, and respect for older citizens is not just a moral obligation—it is a necessity for a sustainable future.
The clock is ticking. Policymakers must act decisively to ensure that Britain is a country where people can age with confidence, security, and pride in their communities.
Finbogo, a ground-breaking digital platform designed to streamline public access to private healthcare practitioners, has secured significant investment to lead a new, digitally driven era within private healthcare.
While sectors such as property, retail, and hospitality have rapidly embraced digital transformation over the past twenty years, making services easily accessible to consumers, private healthcare has significantly lagged—until now.
Henry Anderson, aged 23, who is a co-founder of Finbogo and leads the team of 40 at its Headquarters in Greater Manchester, is set to revolutionise the private therapy market which is currently valued at £23billion and projected to reach £53billion by 2030.1
With 67% of the UK population willing to pay for private healthcare services, there’s no reason practitioners should struggle for visibility or business. Today, opting for private care is increasingly viewed as a proactive investment in long-term health and well-being rather than a luxury. Finbogo is at the forefront, redefining what it means to ‘go private’ in the digital age.
“At Finbogo, we are creating a thriving community,” says Henry Anderson, Commercial Director. “With over 400,000 practitioners across the UK and an anticipated annual growth rate of 16.7% to 2030, the demand for an efficient, transparent comparison platform has never been greater.”
“For the first time, the public will be able to find, compare and book treatments with private practitioners through its intuitive comparison site, empowering users to effortlessly select the best practitioner suited to their specific needs.”
In the past decade, demand for private healthcare services has surged by 65%, driven significantly by lengthy NHS waiting times and a proactive shift towards preventive healthcare, fuelled by less than one in four people in the UK expressing satisfaction with NHS operations the lowest in 41 years.2
Simultaneously, the therapy sector has experienced explosive growth, attracting many professionals retraining from diverse career backgrounds.
Henry Anderson further commented: “Increasing numbers of individuals across the UK are seeking private healthcare accessible on their terms, but potential patients struggle to locate appropriate practitioners, while practitioners themselves face challenges to fill their appointment slots.”
“Finbogo is on a mission to bridge this gap with innovative technology, enabling users to quickly find, book, and attend the care they need.”
Appointment comes following her successful oversight of the £2Bn IT portfolio at UK’s Ministry of Defence
Quantum Trilogy, a technology company providing mission-critical, agile solutions to urgent government needs, is delighted to announce the appointment of Rebecca Alderson as Chief Portfolio Officer, as the company experiences a significant surge of interest.
Rebecca Alderson
In the new role, Alderson – who is well-versed in navigating challenging, classified, and highly intricate environments – will oversee the company’s portfolio strategy and alignment. She will ensure the initiatives support the company’s long-term vision and priorities – balancing innovation with core business growth. She will serve as the bridge between strategy and execution teams to develop Quantum Trilogy’s customer acquisition pipeline and relationship strategy.
Alderson brings over 10 years of experience working at the UK’s Ministry of Defence delivering large scale complex and classified programs which supported operations in the most challenging environments. This was across both the defence digital space and wider global defense community.
Most recently, Alderson was the Head of Portfolio Management for Defence Digital, which saw her oversee a £2Bn IT portfolio, delivering mission-critical capabilities across the globe. This experience will be vital to lead the delivery of ongoing projects, ensuring best-in-class execution for clients operating in exceptionally complex and high-stakes arenas.
“Rebecca’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Quantum Trilogy, as demand for our mission-critical solutions continues to grow at pace,” said Alain Obadia, CEO at Quantum Trilogy. “Her deep expertise in managing complex, high-stakes portfolios, coupled with her proven track record of delivering at the very highest level, will be instrumental in helping us scale with purpose, while continuing to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients.”
Rebecca Alderson comments, “It is certainly an exciting time to be joining Quantum Trilogy, and I am thrilled to be a part of its growth trajectory, so early on.
I look forward to building a world-class team, where together we can focus on forming strong customer partnerships that drive forward an ambitious portfolio of work.”
As the impact of recent Government and economic decisions have put local councils under more pressure than ever before, councils are turning to digital technology to build efficiencies that can improve their financial position to be able to maximise provision for their communities.
In fact, a survey by the County Councils Network (CCN) has revealed that more than half (51%) of England’s county and rural local authorities are more likely to cut their 2025 services in adult social care, such as care homes and support for voluntary and charity groups. There is additional pressure with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology’s publication of the new Blueprint for Modern Digital Government.
This may also see council technology leaders who haven’t already embarked on digitalisation scrambling for ways to integrate disparate customer data sources to save costs and improve resident experiences. Yet many local authorities lack the digital maturity or don’t know where to start.
Challenges for local councils to digitalise services
As part of their remit, local authorities provide a wide range of services to a population with diverse requirements, which leads to a wealth of data from a range of sources, held in disparate locations in legacy systems, and on paper, email, or cumbersome spreadsheets.
In a typical scenario where a resident needs to contact a council about its services or to make a report or a change, their engagement may be via phone call, email, or completion of a form. There is typically no central hub for the resident to keep track of progress in their case or to add an update. This may prompt a follow-up call to the call centre that is already over-stretched and unable to give the resident the time required. In turn this can negatively impact the experience for both the resident and call centre staff.
How the single view of the citizen works
The answer is to have shared data that runs across all customer touchpoints. This is critical to cut down administration and enable a smooth customer experience. This is known as the Single View of the Citizen, which aims to replace outdated and inefficient processes, bringing data sources and services together for efficient handling and secure access via the local authority Contact Centre’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool.
With a Single View of the Citizen, contact centre staff can deal with cases and requests more efficiently and effectively. It eliminates time-wasting duplication, can speed up case resolution and send automated notifications to appropriate residents, improving resident experience and reducing operator workload in an otherwise often overstretched environment.
By embracing digital technology to unify systems and provide a Single View of the Citizen, budget-saving changes can be made. Critically, business information reporting tools can be used to identify potential savings, for instance where more income may be available for the council to help support their service provision, or where particular demand exists for adult or children’s social care services.
A resident portal which centralises all information not only improves the resident’s user experience by reducing the number of different accounts they need to manage, but also minimises the number of calls they may need to make to the contact centre raising or following up cases, thus reducing the team’s workload. This also allows contact centre staff to allocate more time where required to resolve the residents’ issues effectively.
Resident Portal and other functionality
There is specific technology that can enable services to be available online 24/7, which most consumers now expect of council services. These should include:
Resident Portal
This is a hub where the resident can access multiple services via SSO (Single Sign-on). The aim is for residents to be able to make a council tax payment, start a garden waste subscription, submit a report, or respond to local planning applications, for example, through one portal without having to remember multiple sets of login credentials.
Functionality for field staff
Functionality for field staff to interact with, and update, cases in the central CRM system can be available through use of the Dynamics Field Service module on an iPad or smartphone. By replacing a manual process where a paper form is completed in triplicate and information copied to the system once back in the office, this will save significant administration time and reduce the risk of human error.
Business Information Reporting
The consolidation of data from various locations and apps also improves data visibility and consistency for business information reporting, utilising tools such as Microsoft Power BI and Dynamics Customer Insights to look at such areas as debt and demand as a Single View. Such analysis can be used to identify potential savings, where more income may be available for the council to help support their service provision, or where particular demand exists for adult or children’s social care services for example.
A new technology partnership formally announced today, could help NHS, local government, and housing organisations collaborate to create an unprecedented understanding of the risks and needs of people in their care. Resulting intelligence could enable co-ordinated decisions that help to ease demand on recovering NHS services, prevent avoidable harm and A&E visits, and target community interventions where they can make the biggest impact for individuals.
The two companies behind the initiative, clinical analytics specialist C2-Ai and software company Netcall, have already been individually working with significant impact to help NHS trusts, integrated care systems, social care, and housing providers, to enhance productivity and better support people on hospital waiting lists.
A new partnership agreement to combine the companies’ capabilities, could now allow NHS, housing, and care providers to collectively harness multi-sector data in entirely new ways, in order to create detailed risk profiles for individuals that can inform action based on new insights into each person’s needs.
John Clarke
Different organisations are already using Netcall to continually capture wellbeing and wellness measures from individuals in the community through multiple channels, but usually this data remains confined to a single organisation. With the agreement of various agencies, data could now be combined and applied to AI models from C2-Ai, that are already being used in high-impact NHS programmes to find and act for hidden high-risk patients waiting for treatment.
It means, for example, that a person on a waiting list for COPD treatment who reports worsening problems through any one of a range of channels including social media, chat, portals, telephone, or targeted questionnaires, could be identified early as being at high-risk of A&E admission, harm, or complications. This could reinforce an intelligence picture that could help NHS teams make decisions to prioritise medical intervention.
Housing providers and social care teams could also be alerted to intervene to address other previously unknown factors in the individual’s deterioration such as unaffordable heating, or living in poor housing with mould, which could be addressed through effective social housing provision.
And community pharmacists could take informed actions to help keep the individual well, in a co-ordinated approach that could keep the person out of hospital, improving their outcomes and preventing the need for additional costly care.
Dr Mark Ratnarajah
John Clarke, head of client solutions for healthcare at Netcall, said: “Patients are complex and are rarely viewed as one individual – they are looked at separately by acute hospitals, GPs, community care, mental health services, social care, as a local council’s citizen, or as a housing association tenant. But these services can and should positively impact each other, prioritising resource where it can make the biggest difference, by using the right intelligence.
“By combining up-to-date information from encounters across services and from regular communication with individuals, and then applying new data to AI already helping the NHS to find those most urgently in need, providers can harness a much more comprehensive and continuously updated risk profile.
“That’s what we hope to achieve through our new partnership – to allow region-wide services to make much better decisions in response to the various needs of a person, and to work together to enable better outcomes, reduce health inequalities, and address the recovery burden on the NHS.”
The new partnership is expected to support all three core shifts in health and social care being set out by the government: effective use of digital, prevention of worsening health and rising demand, and better supporting patients in community. It is also anticipated that it could have relevance to healthcare systems around the world.
Dr Mark Ratnarajah, UK managing director for C2-Ai, said: “This could be a seismic opportunity to become person-centric, rather than patient-centric: to understand and enable responses to changing risks by looking at whole person, rather than just the sum of their symptoms or conditions.
“We want to enable providers across different settings to keep individuals safe and well, to keep them out of hospital, and prevent avoidable downstream costs. This is already intuitively a good thing to do for many working across health and care, but is often not possible when a person’s information is held in lots of different places, making it challenging to understand and act on dependencies.
“We look forward to engaging conversations across healthcare, local government and housing, that we hope will lead to new ways to anticipate needs and make effective and efficient use of scarce resources, including human capital by doing more of the right things, at the right time, and in the right place.”
Matrix’s Social Value team has made a significant impact in communities across the UK, supporting over 10,000 individuals between March 2024 and April 2025 on their journey to employment. Through a range of initiatives, including employability workshops, career support and volunteering days, Matrix has helped students, job seekers and local authority employees unlock new opportunities and build vital skills.
Siobhan Goss
“Social value is at the heart of what we do,” said Siobhan Goss, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Matrix. “We are proud of the meaningful impact we have made on communities, helping individuals gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed in their chosen career. This is not just about fulfilling a corporate responsibility but about becoming real partners with the communities we support.”
Key initiatives this year include the Myth-Busting Apprenticeship Workshops during National Apprenticeship Week, Careers Week and the Graduate with Confidence Scheme at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), where Matrix facilitated 10 individual workshops aimed at empowering students as they navigate the challenges of entering the workforce.
The Matrix Social Value team has worked closely with 43 local authorities to provide early career workshops and encourage diverse groups of candidates to consider public sector careers. In addition, more focus was placed on reaching younger students in primary schools, aiming to spark interest in future careers earlier in their education.
“Working with schools, universities and local councils has allowed us to make a lasting difference at all stages of career development,” said Goss. “Our aim is to build relationships and understand the unique needs of each community, ensuring that the support we provide aligns with their priorities.”
Matrix continues to engage with key stakeholders to create tailored social value programs that make a meaningful difference, from providing one-on-one career coaching to facilitating group workshops. The success of these initiatives highlights the growing importance of social value in fostering sustainable community development.
With this milestone achievement, Matrix is committed to continuing to support communities across the UK, helping individuals reach their full potential and contribute positively to their local environments.
by Gareth Jelley, Product Security Manager,edtech charity, LGfL – The National Grid for Learning
Figures from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO, 2024) reveal a steep increase in cyber-incidents within the education and childcare sector, with 354 cases reported in 2023, a significant rise from 224 the previous year. Government data also indicates that the majority of schools and colleges have experienced a cyber-security breach in the past year (DSIT, 2024).
What steps can schools take?
Gareth Jelley
Emerging cyber-security trends include the exploitation of remote access systems.
A growing number of schools have fallen victim to cyber-attacks due to vulnerabilities in their remotely accessible systems. Without multi-factor authentication (MFA) remote desktop services which enable staff to access internal resources, become easy targets for attackers.
Cybercriminals exploit weak points through brute force password attacks, password spraying, and phishing schemes, to gain unauthorized access to school networks. They can then launch further attacks, steal sensitive data, or disrupt school operations. Multi-factor authentication is one of the most effective defences, yet many schools still do not have it in place.
Control user access privileges
Role-based access control (RBAC) ensures employees only access information necessary for their roles. Limiting administrative access reduces the risk of internal security breaches and enhances overall data protection.
Outdated software can be costly – proactive planning is key.
On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will cease support for Windows 10. Software updates not only enhance functionality – they include essential security patches that protect against vulnerabilities. Schools relying on outdated software will need to invest in extended support, or budget for hardware upgrades, to mitigate potential security risks. Security vendors are also expected to increase their fees for maintaining older systems.
Plan ahead for software and operating systems updates. Always apply security patches as soon as they become available to mitigate vulnerabilities.
Robust cyber-response plans.
The National Cyber Security Centre Audit (NCSC, 2023) revealed that 50% of schools lack an effective Cyber Response Plan. Existing plans often omit critical details – access to administrator passwords, encryption keys, system restoration procedures, and notification protocols for cyber insurance providers. Strategies should include: a risk register to identify and analyse potential threats; both cloud-based and hard-copy documentation of security protocols; and clear instructions on responding to data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other cyber threats.
A collaborative approach between school leadership and IT teams offers several benefits:
Comprehensive risk assessment: Leadership understands operational risks, while IT teams provide technical expertise.
Shared responsibility: Cyber-security should not be solely an IT concern. When leadership is engaged, a culture of awareness and responsibility spreads across the school community.
Effective training: Senior leaders can champion security training initiatives, ensuring all staff members understand their role in preventing cyber-incidents.
Resource allocation: With leadership backing, schools can secure necessary funding for security tools, staff training, and infrastructure improvements.
Continuous improvement: Cyber-threats constantly evolve so regular reviews and updates to security protocols help schools to stay ahead of emerging risks.
Annual cyber risk assessment, along with termly reviews, help schools identify vulnerabilities in hardware, software, and data management. Proactively addressing weaknesses can strengthen security and response plans.
Anti-malware and firewalls
Installing anti-malware software and firewalls helps safeguard school networks from malicious activity. Anti-malware tools detect and remove threats, while firewalls act as barriers against unauthorized access.
The 3-2-1 backup plan
Regular data backup is essential in case of a cyber-attack. The NCSC advises the 3-2-1 backup rule:
Maintain three copies of important data
Store backups on two different types of media – cloud and external drive
Keep one backup offsite to ensure recoverability in case of a disaster.
Any cyber-attack should immediately be reported to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk/) the UK’s national cyber-crime reporting centre. Rapid reporting helps mitigate damage and prevent further attacks.
As cyber-attacks rise, proactive steps must be taken to strengthen school defences. Regular risk assessments, user access controls, and robust security protocols are essential in protecting student and staff data. Keeping software up to date, implementing multi-factor authentication, and maintaining comprehensive backup plans further enhance cyber resilience.
By adhering to government cyber-security guidelines and fostering a security-conscious culture, schools can reduce their vulnerability to cyber threats. Collaboration between leadership teams and IT support is key to ensuring that cyber-security measures are both strategic and effective. A well-prepared school is not only better equipped to prevent attacks but also capable of responding swiftly and effectively should an incident occur. For more information on cybersecurity for schools please visit Security | LGFL.
The professional body representing environmental health professionals has shared its disappointment at reports that wood-burning stoves are set to be allowed to heat new-build homes in England.
A letter from the Government to the Stove Industry Association (SIA), as reported by the Guardian, states that the Government do not intend to ban wood-burning stoves in new homes under the Future Homes Standard, despite mounting evidence of the harmful effects of pollution caused by wood burning.
This potential decision would go against the Climate Change Committee’s recommendations’ that wood-burning stoves in homes should be phased out because of the carbon they emit. Wood burning smoke also contains fine particle air pollution (PM2.5), which is widely seen as the air pollutant that has the most devastating impact on human health.
The Future Homes Standard states as its aim that it will mandate that new homes in England be designed for low-carbon heating and high energy efficiency. Essentially, such houses will be carbon neutral once the grid itself is decarbonised.
The weakening of these rules for developers with the allowance for wood-burning stoves as a secondary heating source appears to go against these stated aims.
CIEH, along with the Healthy Air Coalition of which it is a member, have called for an action plan for the phasing out of domestic wood burning to be developed.
Therefore, CIEH believes this decision, if confirmed, to allow wood-burning stoves in new homes despite the growing evidence showing their significant contribution to air pollution and carbon emissions, is a backward step in the fight to improve air quality and protect public health.
Mark Elliott, President of CIEH, said:
“While CIEH understands that in some settings there is little or no choice for domestic wood burning, we have been clear that where there is a choice and alternatives available, these must be sought as the harmful effects of domestic wood burning cannot be ignored.
“The Future Homes Standard was an opportunity for the Government to make a clear commitment to phase out polluting wood burners.
“It would therefore be a real disappointment if this opportunity is lost. We urge the Government to be serious about air quality and protect the public from the harms that PM2.5 has on their health.
“We would call on the Government to reconsider their position on this matter before it’s too late. We will continue to advocate for homes being heated in the cleanest way possible to reduce the pollutants people and communities create, the health impacts they cause and the strain this generates on our health services.”
As we enjoy the longer days and warmer weather, it’s easy to forget that winter will be here before we know it. Spring is the ideal time to get ahead, ensuring you invest in your fleet well before the sub-zero temperatures hit and heavy snowfall arrives.
Kärcher’s range of implements carrier such as the MIC 35, MIC 42, and MC 150 are all designed to take on winter’s toughest challenges. Whether you are cleaning city streets or ensuring public spaces remain safe, these machines deliver the power, precision, and reliability needed to tackle whatever winter brings.
Advance planning is key to keeping operations running smoothly. Investing in the right equipment and scheduling proactive servicing now means fewer headaches when the harsh weather hits.
A Tool for Every Winter Task
MIC 35: Compact & Versatile
For those working in tight urban spaces, the MIC 35’s compact design and high manoeuvrability make it an ideal municipal machine. Its compatibility with snowploughs and spreaders ensures effective snow and ice management.
The intuitive implement carrier features a clever, quick-change system, a comfort cab with a panoramic view, and an engine that significantly undercuts STAGE V emissions limits. Whether you’re clearing snow from pedestrian pathways or tackling car parks, it offers flexibility and efficiency, while easily moving loads over a tonne in capacity.
The MIC 35’s common rail engine, with its diesel particulate filter, ensures emissions values stay well below STAGE V standard, and its low fuel consumption enhances its environmental credentials.
What’s more, a complete retrofit from sweeper to winter service – and vice versa – is, in fact, completed in a matter of minutes. Saving time and money, this efficient transformation is true of the majority of Kärcher’s municipal machines. This gives flexibility for operators – whether you are hiring or purchasing the implements for the winter season, your machines can be used all year round.
MIC 42: Power and Performance
Striking the perfect balance between strength and agility, the MIC 42 is the go-to option for operators who need more power without compromising on manoeuvrability.
Combining the attributes of an implement carrier and vacuum sweeper, the MIC 42 delivers a high engine and driver performance (42 HP, 130Nm torque), and can move a tonne load capacity effortlessly with high hydraulic power. At just 1.08 metres wide, it remains compact and manoeuvrable.
With increased payload capacity, enhanced traction, and superior visibility, the MIC 42 allows you to clear larger areas quickly and safely. Thanks to high quality components, maintenance intervals are 500 to 1,000 hours, ensuring reliable performance throughout the year and changing seasons. This, in turn, reduces the risk to the public – something of great benefit for operators working with government bodies, who are required to ensure they can do as much as ‘reasonably practical’, to mitigate risks.
Like the MIC 35, the MIC 42 is built with sustainability in mind, its rail diesel engine, including diesel particle filter, achieves exhaust emissions values well below the standard, making it perfect for urban green zones.
Both MIC 42 and MIC 35 offer exceptional flexibility when it comes to changing implements, thanks to a standardised coupling triangle with a lifting and lowering device positioned at the front. This adaptability makes them a reliable partner all year round for those across a broad range of industries.
MC 150: Heavy-duty winter specialist
When extreme winter conditions call for serious power, the MC 150 rises to the challenge. Designed for high-demand operations, this model boasts a powerful engine and high-performance hydraulics to tackle deep snow and high-volume grit spreading.
The MC 150 is a comfortable, economical multi-purpose sweeper featuring a two-seater cab and all-wheel drive in the 3.5 t class. Ideal for the winter season, the MC 150 also comes with winter-proof equipment features, such as heated seats and heated windscreen, guaranteeing perfect vision at any time – drivers won’t want to leave the cab.
Suitable for large scale municipal and industrial settings, the MC 150 includes an advanced suction and sweeping system to keep roads and pathways clear of slush and debris.
The hydrostatic drive system ensures smooth and reliable operating even in slippery conditions, while its large hopper capacity extends operating times. Additionally, the machine is fuel efficient and eco-friendly with emissions well below STAGE V standards.
Maintenance
While having the right equipment is crucial, keeping it in top condition ensures peak performance when it’s needed most.
With decades of German engineering, Kärcher machines are built for durability and efficiency and the comprehensive maintenance service, ensures they do just that.
A well-maintained machine is a reliable machine. Servicing your fleet now ensures you’re not caught off guard when winter arrives unexpectedly. Regular serving optimises machine performance, keeps your operations smooth and effective, and helps avoid unexpected repairs and breakdowns.
Get ahead of the curve
Winter may seem like a distant concern, but those who plan now will reap the benefits when the first snow falls. The right equipment and proactive maintenance can mean the difference between seamless operations and costly downtime. Moreover, with the option to hire implements, Spring and Summer is the ideal time to enquire about hiring winter implements, giving you use of the tools exactly when you need them. It’s time to take control of the season and prepare in advance to make sure your fleet is winter-ready.
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