AI will not solve council cash crisis, say experts

Councils across the UK are increasingly turning towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) as they try to fill a looming £4bn financial black hole.

But local government experts say it is not the "silver bullet" to save a system from "the brink of collapse".

There are also ethical concerns around the increasing use of AI in assessing the level of care vulnerable people need.

A government spokesman said it encouraged safe and responsible use of the technology where it could reduce workloads.

A study by the BBC Shared Data Unit found all but a small handful of the UK's local authorities will reduce the services they offer this financial year, despite recent reforms to the way they are funded.

The 218 upper-tier councils, which include borough, county, metropolitan and unitary authorities, will make a total of £3.2bn in cuts.

Planned measures include reducing the frequency of bin collections, closing heritage attractions, ending bus routes and - in the case of one council - completely removing sheltered housing support.

Fees and charges for parking permits and green waste bins will be hiked at dozens of councils, while almost every authority will raise council tax by the maximum 5%.