AI part of £3.4m project to 'modernise' authority

Artificial intelligence (AI) could be used as part of a £3.4m project to modernise an authority, and "get a grip" on rising costs, a council has said.

Gloucestershire County Council said the Stronger Futures programme focused on using AI and digital tools to cut waste, improve services, crackdown on unnecessary spending and improve value for money.

Deputy leader Colin Hay, who announced the plan, said the council was "not going to sit back and wait for financial pressures to force damaging cuts on our communities".

A decision is expected on 22 April.

Reform group leader Vernon Smith said the council did not need to spend to save, and the project was more likely to contribute to "bigger council tax bills".

Smith said: "The Liberal Democrats want to spend another £3.4m of your money today so they can promise to save some of it tomorrow."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported Hay said the plan would help streamline how the council worked to make it more efficient and accountable.

"We are taking control, not waiting for cuts. Stronger Futures is about getting a grip on spending, modernising the council, and protecting the services people rely on."

In support of the project, Green Party councillor Gary Luff said the "devil is in the detail", and it is important to be clear on what the plans mean in practice.

There will also need to be "further assurance around the responsible usage of AI," Luff added.

Conservative leader Stephen Davies said: "It disappoints and amuses me in equal measure how the Liberal Democrats rename and relaunch policies the previous Conservative administration had already implemented."

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