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The shortlisted entries in the AI Innovation in Local Government category of The MJ Awards 2026 reveal a sector rapidly moving beyond isolated artificial intelligence pilots towards embedding AI at the heart of public service delivery.While each council has applied AI to a different challenge—from education and adult social care to climate action and customer services—a number of clear themes emerge.Chief among them is a growing recognition that AI's greatest value lies not in replacing people, but in equipping staff with better information, reducing administrative burdens and enabling earlier, more informed interventions.A striking feature across the shortlist is the emphasis on solving tangible service challenges rather than adopting technology for its own sake.Derby City Council has developed an organisation-wide AI operating model that combines resident contact, staff productivity and governance into a single platform. The approach has delivered measurable efficiencies while improving access to services through multilingual, 24-hour support and allowing staff to focus on more complex cases requiring human judgement.A striking feature across the shortlist is the emphasis on solving tangible service challenges rather than adopting technology for its own sake.Elsewhere, Newcastle City Council is using predictive AI to identify children at risk of persistent school absence years before attendance problems become entrenched. Rather than responding once issues arise, the model aims to help schools intervene earlier, potentially improving educational outcomes and reducing long-term inequalities.The focus on prevention is equally evident in adult social care. St Helens Borough Council has combined technology-enabled care, connected devices and AI-driven insights to help residents remain independent for longer, while North Somerset Council has transformed the production of Education, Health and Care plans through AI-assisted drafting, dramatically reducing waiting times and improving statutory performance despite unprecedented growth in demand.Another consistent theme is responsible AI. Rather than pursuing full automation, every shortlisted authority places professional oversight at the centre of decision-making.East Riding of Yorkshire Council's pioneering use of thermal AI to support low-carbon street lighting demonstrates this particularly clearly. AI provides behavioural evidence to inform decisions, while elected members and officers remain responsible for final judgements.Similarly, Newcastle has built fairness testing, explainability and privacy assessments into its predictive attendance model from the outset, recognising that public trust is essential if AI is to become embedded in frontline services.Collaboration also features strongly across the category. Whether through partnerships with technology providers, universities or neighbouring authorities, councils are increasingly developing AI solutions that can be replicated elsewhere.North Somerset's Education, Health and Care planning tool is already being used by more than 30 councils, while East Riding's climate-focused AI programme is being adopted by authorities across England, Scotland and Wales.Perhaps the clearest message from this year's shortlist is that local government is entering a new phase of AI adoption. The conversation has shifted away from chatbots and standalone digital tools towards organisation-wide transformation underpinned by governance, ethics and measurable public benefit.Whether supporting vulnerable children, helping older residents live independently, reducing carbon emissions or improving access to council services, the finalists demonstrate that successful AI innovation is ultimately less about technology than about redesigning services around better outcomes for residents.You can view sumissions for all the entries to The MJ Awards 2026 here. The finalists were: East Riding of Yorkshire Council: Using Ethical AI to Enable Climate Action and Maintain Public SafetyDerby City Council: Leading the AI revolution in local governmentLondon Borough of Ealing: CHC+Royal Borough of Greenwich: Home by Home PlanNewcastle City Council: Early identification of school attendance challenges through predictive AISt Helens Borough Council: Technology Enabled Care at St Helens: An Integrated Model Delivering ImpactNorth Somerset Council: Transforming SEND Through AI: Delivering Timely EHC Plans at Scale

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AI Innovation: Shifting from experimentation to transformation in local government

By MJ Correspondent | 29 October 2026

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