Council employees: free 80 % of routine work with AI

Is your inbox overflowing with council tax queries while data entry piles up on the back office systems? For UK council employees, balancing statutory duties, budget cuts and rising citizen expectations is a daily struggle. The good news: artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA) are already lightening the load in local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Problem: doing more with less in local government

• Soaring digital demand: online transactions grew 34 % across UK councils between 2023 and 2024 (LG Digital Maturity Index).

• Budget pressure: 49 % of English councils report a funding gap for 2025/26 (LGA Autumn Statement 2024).

• Regulatory deadlines: full compliance with the Local Digital Declaration and PSN retirement by 2026; new accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2) already in force.

Persisting with manual processes means missed savings, slower services and dissatisfied residents.

Powerlab vision: imagine the “Town Hall 4.0”

Imagine 80 % of repetitive clicks happening in the background while you focus on face‑to‑face support, Net Zero projects or community engagement. Each spreadsheet you no longer update manually is one more resident served with a smile.

Powerlab delivers rapid prototypes, measurable ROI and skills transfer — tech that amplifies human impact.

Real‑world use cases (UK 2024/25)

1. Council tax discount verification in minutes

• Before: officers manually checked eligibility and scanned evidence.

• Solution: AI OCR plus Open Banking API validate proofs automatically; RPA updates the Revenues system (e.g. Capita One).

• Result: London Borough of Redbridge cut average processing time by 65 % (pilot Q4 2024).

2. Intelligent mailroom in Dorset Council

• Before: 15 000 letters a month sorted by hand.

• Solution: AI reads envelopes, categorises content and routes it via SharePoint & Dynamics 365.

• Result: 30 % faster initial response; £180k annual saving (Dorset Digital 2024).

3. RPA for invoices via Peppol & eForms UK

• Before: manual key‑in of supplier invoices into Unit4 ERP.

• Solution: bot retrieves XML/XLS invoices from MHCLG Peppol gateway, validates VAT & CPV codes and triggers payment.

• Result: Inverclyde Council reduced processing time by 45 %, meeting the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 payment target (case study 2024).

4. 24/7 chatbot “BARNEY” in Barnsley

• Before: call centre overload with bulky waste bookings and school admissions FAQs.

• Solution: conversational AI integrated with Amazon Lex and Single Sign‑On (MyAccount).

• Result: 88 % of queries resolved without agent; 1 400 staff hours saved in 2024.

5. Automated booking of community halls

• Before: Excel diaries and email ping‑pong causing double‑bookings.

• Solution: self‑service portal; AI engine suggests free slots and flags conflicts.

• Result: Glasgow City Council increased room utilisation by 40 % and cut complaints by 90 %.

Human + tech: the Powerlab formula

1. Lightning assessment (2 days) — identify the top ROI processes.

2. Proof of concept (5 days) — see the benefit before investing.

3. Upskilling — your team becomes the AI co‑pilot.

Humans remain the decision‑makers; AI adds speed and accuracy.

Common objections & answers

Objection	Response
“AI will remove jobs”	It removes drudgery, freeing staff for resident care, regeneration and climate action.
“We have no budget”	Subscription from £500 / month, ROI <6 months; eligible for DLUHC Local Digital Fund and Innovate UK grants.
“What about GDPR & cyber security?”	Hosting in UK‑based ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus data centres; full audit trails and DPO support.

Digitising council work delivers faster, more transparent and more human public services. Turn regulatory deadlines into opportunities — with AI as your ally.

👉 Want a free prototype on your own process? Contact us at https://power-lab.eu/en/contact or read our deep dive on AI & Supply Chain.