Skip to main content

Security report for lincolnshire.gov.uk

Lincolnshire County Council · Government · United Kingdom

Low risk. 2 critical or high findings in Security headers.

Security score

81/100

Risk levelLow

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

Lincolnshire County Council operates as the official local government authority for the Lincolnshire region in the United Kingdom. The website serves as a comprehensive portal providing residents and businesses with access to a wide range of public services including education, transport, social care, recycling, and planning. The council positions itself as a key public sector entity focused on community support and local governance. The site’s content and metadata reflect a well-structured and professional government service platform. Technically, the website employs modern web technologies such as React and Microsoft Bot Framework for interactive features, alongside Google Tag Manager and Adsense for analytics and advertising. The site is built on the Jadu CMS platform, commonly used by UK public sector bodies. Performance and mobile optimization are good, with accessibility and SEO best practices implemented effectively. From a security perspective, the site enforces HTTPS and includes multiple security headers, demonstrating a solid security posture. Privacy compliance is robust, featuring a comprehensive privacy policy and cookie consent mechanism powered by Legal Monster. However, the absence of a dedicated security policy, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure mechanisms suggests areas for improvement in transparency and security readiness. Overall, the website is trustworthy and professional, reflecting the standards expected of a government entity. The domain’s .gov.uk suffix and consistent branding reinforce legitimacy. Strategic recommendations include publishing explicit security policies, incident response information, and a vulnerability disclosure program to enhance security posture and stakeholder trust.

Scanned

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
83/ 100 · Low
Checks completed
7of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

2 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. Security headers

    Security headers are instructions your web server sends to every visitor’s browser. Missing ones leave visitors more exposed to attacks such as clickjacking and injected scripts.

    • High

      Missing Strict-Transport-Security header

      Forces HTTPS connections

      What to do: Add "Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains; preload"

      • CWE-319
      • OWASP A04:2025
      • ASVS V3.4.1
    • High

      Missing Content-Security-Policy header

      Controls resources the browser is allowed to load

      What to do: Implement a Content-Security-Policy appropriate for your application

      • ASVS V3.4.3
      • OWASP Secure Headers: OWASP Secure Headers Project recommends Content-Security-Policy: default-src 'self'; form-action 'self'; base-uri 'self'; object-src 'none';…

Need hands-on remediation? Email guard@offseq.com

Keep watching lincolnshire.gov.uk

This scan found 15 issues across 6 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

Daily monitoring

Recommended

€25per month

  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

Email alerts on material changes and an exportable JSON history of every change.

Billed monthly to your card. Cancel anytime. The full timeline opens with your unlock code.

Full report

€39.90one-time

  • The complete analysis as a PDF you can cite
  • Email delivery with an unlock code
  • Lifetime access to this report

Prices incl. 21% VAT. Secure checkout by Mollie; sold by SEQ SIA, Latvia.

Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

SSL/TLS
100
Security headers
50
Email security
70
DNS health
85
Network security
100
GDPR outside view
83
Average
81

Not counted

  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Lincolnshire County Council holds a strong market position as the primary local government authority for Lincolnshire, UK. Its business model is public sector service delivery, funded by government budgets and local taxes. The council’s competitive advantage lies in its official status and comprehensive service offerings tailored to local residents and businesses. Revenue streams are typical of government bodies, focusing on public funding rather than commercial sales. The target audience includes local citizens, businesses, and community organizations. Growth indicators are aligned with public sector mandates rather than commercial expansion. The council maintains partnerships with various government and community organizations, although no explicit partner domains were identified. Operationally, the council demonstrates maturity in digital service provision, leveraging modern web technologies and compliance frameworks.

Security posture

The website exhibits a mature security posture with enforced HTTPS, robust security headers, and a transparent cookie consent mechanism. No critical vulnerabilities or exposed sensitive data were detected in the HTML content. However, the lack of a published security policy, incident response contacts, and vulnerability disclosure program indicates gaps in security governance and transparency. Compliance with GDPR is evident through privacy policies and consent tools. Incident response readiness and security culture could be improved by providing clear contact channels and formal disclosure policies. Overall, the site’s security measures are appropriate for a government website but could benefit from enhanced documentation and communication of security practices.

Recommendations

  1. Publish a dedicated security policy page outlining security practices and commitments.
  2. Provide clear incident response contact information, including security@ or abuse@ email addresses.
  3. Implement and publicize a vulnerability disclosure policy or security.txt file to encourage responsible reporting.
  4. Regularly audit and update third-party scripts and libraries to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
  5. Enhance transparency by linking certifications or compliance attestations related to information security.

Contact details published on the site

Addresses
Legal name
Lincolnshire County Council
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Lincolnshire County Council
Description
Information from Lincolnshire County Council about schools, roads, jobs, registrars, recycling, childcare, adult care, libraries, planning and business.
Key services
Schools, Education, Roads, Transport, Jobs, Registrars, Recycling, Childcare, Adult social care, Libraries
Content quality
good
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
JavaScript, React, Microsoft Bot Framework, Google Tag Manager, Google Adsense, Legal Monster cookie consent
Frameworks
React, Bot Framework Webchat
Platforms
Web
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • Use of security headers
  • Cookie consent with opt-in mechanism
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML

Analytics and tracking

Services
Google Tag Manager
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Ad networks
Google Adsense
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
good
User experience
good
Content relevance
good
Navigation
good
Professionalism
good
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is an official local government portal for Lincolnshire County Council.
  2. Content is comprehensive and relevant to residents and businesses.
  3. Use of modern web technologies and frameworks.
  4. Good privacy and cookie compliance with visible consent mechanism.
  5. No WHOIS data available from raw output, but domain is .gov.uk indicating high trust.
  6. No security policy or incident response contact page found.
  7. No vulnerability disclosure or security.txt found.
  8. Advertising is limited to Google Adsense with transparent tracking.
  9. Contact information is available including emails, phone numbers, and contact forms.
  10. No WAF or blocking detected; site fully accessible.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern technology stack including React and Microsoft Bot Framework, indicating a commitment to interactive and accessible user experiences. The use of Google Tag Manager and Adsense reflects integration of analytics and monetization tools. The CMS platform is Jadu, a recognized solution for UK public sector websites. Performance is moderate with good mobile optimization and accessibility features. The site employs comprehensive meta tags and Open Graph data for SEO and social media integration. Technical risks are minimal, but reliance on multiple third-party scripts necessitates ongoing security reviews. Opportunities exist to improve hosting transparency and optimize performance further.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

Reviews of this site

Share your experience with lincolnshire.gov.uk. Every review is verified by email and published after moderation.

Overall rating
Select a rating
4000 characters remaining

We’ll email you to confirm your review and keep your details private.

Community rating

No published reviews yet. Be the first to review lincolnshire.gov.uk.

Feedback on this report

Rate this report, add an optional comment, and tell us if you want a security specialist to follow up.

Overall report quality
Select a rating
2000 characters remaining

We only use your feedback to improve Guard reports. Contact details are never shared.