In this final part of the three-part series on AI and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), Ross Murray explores the need for smart leadership that harnesses modern technology to support LGR. It’s often said that technology projects succeed or fail based on the quality of leadership rather than the technology itself. This feels particularly true in the case of AI and LGR. Combining multiple district councils into a single unitary authority demands a change in management and

In the second part of this three-part series, Ross Murray explores what AI can realistically do to support local government reorganisation (LGR), and where it currently falls short. As argued in the first article in this series, the greatest risk facing council leaders is not failing to get to Vesting Day. It's successfully reaching it while recreating the issues of yesterday at twice the size. If you ask people whether AI can help with a merger, you get completely opposite a

Over three blog posts, Ross Murray explores what the AI opportunity means for local government reorganisation (LGR). He argues that LGR is taking place at the same time that AI is disrupting usual ways of working across the public sector. This either presents a serious risk or a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The outcome will depend on the choices leaders make today. The government is embarking on an ambitious local government reorganisation (LGR) programme, replacing two-