Council leaders say the new tools will also “improve services”.
Bury Town Hall (stock image)(Image: ABNM Photo)
Greater Manchester City Council wants to use artificial intelligence to plug a £16m budget black hole. Bury City Council plans to use AI to “automate routine administrative tasks” and “step down its workforce”.
As part of a £3m ‘strategic workforce review’, council leaders are phasing out vacant management positions and considering new technology to reduce reliance on government workers.
The current way vacancies are handled and the “additional use of AI to streamline processes” is expected to save around £1m.
Bury City Council was one of the first Greater Manchester authorities to consider such a wide range of AI tools. Other cities such as Tameside and Manchester are already using the technology in certain sectors.
Sean Thorpe, Bury’s deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and transformation, said: “If we don’t continue to transform the council, we will collapse, so we have to consider all options.”
“To survive, we have to embrace this technology. Bury’s size is both a risk and an opportunity. We are a very small council, so we don’t have hundreds of resources, which means there is an urgent need to embrace this technology.” [AI]”
The council is proposing the deployment of various software tailored to each department.
All sectors have been considered through a “robust” two-year process.
Software ranges from everyday AI assistants like Microsoft Co-Pilot to specific tools like Magic Notes, a program designed to assist social and healthcare workers with note-taking.
Others target specific processes, such as summarizing responses to consultations. Reps spend a lot of time sifting through hundreds of pages of feedback. We may also automatically send residents updates on planning and licensing applications.
The council is one of the first Greater Manchester authorities to consider such a wide range of AI tools, although other local authorities such as Tameside and Greater Manchester are already using the technology for specific sectors.
The move comes after Derby City Council was rumored to have saved £12m and “filled 100 vacant posts” after introducing AI tools early last year, the chief executive claimed.
Berry’s new technology will not immediately result in layoffs. But Thorpe said the council’s staff numbers would be reduced “over time” and not all departing staff would be replaced.
“You save time just by being more efficient. Doing things inefficiently costs money. Over time, the labor force decreases. It’s a natural attrition over time, so that way you can reduce overhead costs,” he added.
“To be clear, we’re not saying we’re going to introduce AI and eliminate all administrative roles, because organizations still need people, but it’s an opportunity for those people to grow and develop in a different way.”
According to the council, the move to AI is not only aimed at reducing costs, but also improving services by “removing the mundaneness from work”. For example, according to the finance director, by spending less time taking notes, social workers can “spend more time with residents solving complex problems in people’s lives.”
“It’s a bit scary because you don’t know what you don’t know,” Lord Thorpe added. “We want to make sure that we go through a robust decision-making process when making decisions about deploying AI.”
The proposal, along with other cost-cutting measures in the budget, will be discussed at a scrutiny meeting on Tuesday, February 10.
