In Brighton & Hove, we have a huge financial challenge.
Our temporary accommodation bill is eye-watering, social care demand is increasing and cash reserves depleted.
Investing £6 million over the next four years is one element of our strategy to create a financially sustainable local authority.
We set ourselves a challenge: would it be possible to move from a standing start to embedding innovative technology throughout the council in just six months?
We rolled out 11 pilot projects trialling new technologies, from transcription tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to keep social workers helping people rather than filling out repetitive paperwork, to using data modelling to identify signs a resident may be approaching homelessness, to rolling out an AI customer service assistant for council tax enquiries. The latter was designed to allow officers specifically trained in the complex world of local government taxation to focus on the tricky problems rather than general enquiries.
While this is exciting for our organisation to adopt new ways of working using the tools available to us, the real story is how the process demonstrated that Brighton & Hove is a learning organisation willing to trial new ideas.
We started from a ‘test and learn’ philosophy. Of the 11 pilots, three were decommissioned – and that is okay. They did not suit our needs, but eight did.
Teams worked as one council, obliterating silos and collaborating to plan, execute and evaluate each of the pilot projects. Information governance ensured robust compliance in record time and procurement teams ensured a quick turnaround of licences.
My message to councillors is to embrace technology and digital innovation to its fullest potential.
In these stormy financial times for many of us in local government, digital innovation gives councils the fighting chance they need to deliver services confidently, efficiently, and to a standard residents deserve.