Council to spend £1.1m on 'digital overhaul'

Barnsley council is to spend £1.1m as part of a "major overhaul" of its digital services with new staff laptops and the continued use of artificial intelligence.

The authority said it expected to spend £285,000 a year on replacing laptops, and about 12% of machines would need replacing annually to maintain service levels.

A report to cabinet members said the council had no dedicated budget for device refreshes, despite growing staff numbers, breakages and turnover.

It will also continue funding Microsoft Copilot licences at a cost of £300,000 a year, which the council said had helped improve productivity and support recruitment and retention.

The report described the spending on laptops as "unavoidable" and said a review had found no surplus devices across the organisation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The plans include restructures of the council's Technology and Innovation service and Business Intelligence team, creating new posts costing £530,000 a year.

The report said the changes were designed to cut dependence on consultants charging up to £700 a day and boost in‑house capacity in data, automation and AI.

The authority said the the costs would be built into the 2026/27 budget and its longer term financial planning.

Officers said the changes were needed to meet the council's ambition of becoming a data‑led organisation, following a Local Government Association peer review.

However, the report warned the authority must still deliver £1m in efficiency savings from its Microsoft programme to pay for the wider digital transformation or face extra budget pressures.

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