To bolster efficiency and save costs, Bath and North East Somerset Council is considering implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to handle various tasks. The council’s aim is to potentially save an additional £6.2m through budget cuts and increased income. While making budgetary reductions in numerous areas, the council plans to allocate £65k towards AI in various capacities.
AI technology has advanced to a point where it can produce highly persuasive human-like text, although concerns about the accuracy and reliability persist. The council envisions leveraging AI to augment staff productivity by utilizing it for chatbots to address resident inquiries, generating preliminary documents, and distilling discussions and phone conversations. Each distinct application of AI will undergo a comprehensive equalities impact assessment.
A council representative stated, “We are currently consulting on our budget proposals which includes piloting the use of AI to improve services to our residents. Benefits to residents of using AI could include faster response times to queries and easier access to information about our services.”
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The council’s focus on AI integration emerged as it initiated discussions on the 2025/26 budget plans. Escalating expenses since the previous budget prompted the council to identify £8.4m in cost reductions and revenue enhancement strategies. They have now outlined further measures to save an additional £6.2m.
Proposed cost savings include raising the green bin charges, increasing the baseline price of residents parking permits, and considering a 4.99% maximum council tax increase. Additionally, the council aims to boost its budget by £13.8m, accounting for increased expenses and service demand alongside new investments like AI.
The council’s proposals, spanning a range of initiatives, will undergo review by various council panels before receiving final approval. The budget proposal consultation is open for public feedback until January 20.
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