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95% of councils are exploring AI. How ready is your data?
The hidden challenge in AI transformation
According to the Local Government Association's 2025 State of the Sector: AI survey, 95% of responding councils are already using or exploring AI, yet only 7% consider themselves leaders in its use. The challenge is no longer whether AI is relevant, but whether organisations have the foundations needed to realise its full potential.
Organisations today face an overwhelming number of AI options.
From copilots and chatbots to automation platforms and intelligent agents, understanding where to start and which technologies will deliver value is a challenge in itself.
But while much of the conversation focuses on selecting the right tools, another challenge is often underestimated: the quality, accessibility and governance of the information those tools rely upon.
Many organisations discover that before AI can deliver meaningful outcomes, they first need confidence in the information that powers it.
Without that foundation, even the most promising AI initiatives can struggle to provide accurate, reliable and trusted results.
Information management is not just an AI challenge. It sits at the heart of day-to-day processes such as FOI requests, Subject Access Requests, complaints and member enquiries. The same issues that make information difficult to find today can limit what is possible tomorrow.
In HSO's research with Socitm, information quality emerged as one of the key challenges facing local government leaders alongside AI, service demand and security.
Where are you on the Data Readiness Curve?
Where are you on the Data Readiness Curve?
Most organisations sit somewhere between finding information and using it as a strategic asset.
Stage 1: Finding Information
Information exists across multiple systems, repositories and departments.
Staff know the information exists, but locating it can be difficult, time-consuming and dependent on individual knowledge.
"The future of AI won't be determined by who has access to the most powerful models. It will be determined by who can provide those models with trusted information and the guardrails to act with confidence. Trust in the data is what enables trust in the outcome."
One simple way to assess data readiness is to look beyond AI altogether. Consider how easily your organisation can respond to an FOI request, Subject Access Request or member enquiry today. If finding the right information is still heavily dependent on manual searching, disconnected systems or individual knowledge, there may be opportunities to strengthen the foundations before introducing new AI capabilities.
So, where do you sit?
AI is creating significant opportunities across local government. Yet the information that sits beneath those tools is often the deciding factor in whether they succeed.
Perhaps the most important question is not:
"What AI solution should we invest in?"
Instead, ask:
"What stage are we at on the Data Readiness Curve?"
Are you still focused on finding information?
Are you working to build trust, consistency and governance across your information estate?
Or are you ready to unlock greater value from the information you already hold?
Many organisations have a view of where they sit today. The challenge is understanding whether that perception matches reality, and which actions are most likely to move them forward.
That is where an independent assessment can help. HSO's Data Readiness Workshop is designed to help organisations understand where they sit on the curve, validate assumptions, identify gaps and build a practical roadmap for what comes next.
Whether your priority is improving FOI and SAR processes, strengthening information governance, implementing Information Accelerator or preparing for future AI initiatives, understanding your starting point is often the most valuable first step.