Stockton Council AI Pilot Cuts Admin Time, Boosts Efficiency
- tech360.tv
- Jun 30, 2025
- 2 min read
Artificial intelligence tools piloted by Stockton Council are significantly reducing administrative workloads and changing how staff operate, according to council leaders.
The council is among 25 local authorities trialling AI systems that transcribe and summarise meetings. Officials say the pilot has already saved staff time and reduced paperwork.
The two systems in use, Minute and Magic Notes, can record, transcribe, and summarise meetings with up to 40 participants. They can also automatically generate templates such as action plans and internal reports.
Deputy Leader Paul Rowling said the technology is transforming daily operations.
“Speaking with the staff, it is fundamentally changing their day-to-day job,” Rowling said. “They can spend much less time doing admin and much more time delivering those public services that our staff are dedicated to.”
Corinne Moore, the council’s digital and website development manager, said the tools have eased workloads.
In one example, public protection meetings that previously required three hours of manual transcription now take just 30 minutes using the AI system.
Public sector union Unison has encouraged councils to adopt AI to support staff and reduce working hours, but warned against using it to eliminate jobs.
Kate Jones, Unison’s AI policy lead, said while many workers benefit from AI, there are concerns about job security.
“It is really important that any introduction of a transformative technology is accompanied by a serious plan for reskilling and redeployment,” Jones said.
Rowling confirmed the council has no plans to cut jobs.
“We see it as a way of upskilling our staff and improving their skills to make them ready for the future,” he said. “We certainly don't see it as a cost cutting or job cutting exercise.”
Stockton Council is piloting AI tools to transcribe and summarise meetings
Systems have reduced admin time and paperwork for staff
AI has cut transcription time from three hours to 30 minutes in some cases
Source: BBC
