The council is looking at ways to use AI to support decision-making, automate some processes and improve productivity, with the aim of reforming the way it operates to reduce costs. North Somerset said it was honest and ethical in how it used technology.
Rising social care costs and falling government funding have led to cash-strapped local authorities predicting they will need to make cuts of £23m to balance their budgets by 2030. North Somerset received government permission in April to increase council tax by an unprecedented 8.99%, but it still needs a huge amount of “transformation” – changing services to work in a more cost-effective way – to break even in the long term.
Steve Bridger (Yatton, Independent) is the Council’s cabinet member for digital, AI and services transformation. “We are currently assessing how artificial intelligence (AI) can help deliver savings across councils, and this will be a key pillar of our transformation program going forward,” he told a parliamentary cabinet meeting on June 17.
He added: “We will do it in a proportionate way – in an ethical and practical way that reflects our core council values and builds and maintains public trust. We will not outsource judgment and empathy to AI tools.”
There are two aspects to this plan. “Parliament-wide AI” will embed AI into teams across Parliament to “improve productivity and decision-making.” Meanwhile, ‘AI Front Door’ aims to enable city councils to quickly respond to requests and applications from ordinary customers.
Council leader Cllr Mike Bell (Weston-super-Mare Central, Lib Dem) said: “We must always remember that artificial intelligence or changes to services that make life harder for staff or make life harder for residents are not improvements.”
North Somerset is thought to be the first council to appoint a minister dedicated to AI. Speaking to the Local Democracy Press when the role was announced last month, Mr Bridger said: “Obviously North Somerset, like many councils, is developing AI tools, but I think the important thing for me is that it helps residents and the community. It’s not just a matter of leveraging AI and making staff redundant. I don’t think we necessarily need to do that.”
The use of AI is just part of the council’s plans to change the way it works to save £23m. The council also engages “transformation partners” to help reform various areas within the council.
A “roadmap” of planned changes is expected to be tabled before Cabinet in September.
