Cyber attack: Gloucester City Council planning site mostly restored

Newly-submitted planning applications can be tracked online again after a key part of a council's system was restored following a cyber attack.

Gloucester City Council's services were hit on 20 December after malware was sent to a council member by email.

To date, most of the council's systems that had been affected were functioning as normal, the council said.

However, users would still be unable to view documents associated with applications submitted before January.

The council website's benefits payments, house sale and planning application sections were affected in the attack.

A spokesperson for the council said it was "working hard" to address ongoing issues with tracking applications made before January.

"Further adjustments have yet to be made to the system and residents should continue to submit any comments by email," the spokesperson added.

Although the planning portal itself was not taken offline during the cyber attack and people could still submit applications, the system that allowed the public to view documents, submit comments and track progress was affected.

Users can now find out progress updates for any newly-submitted applications and view historical planning application details online.

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