New! Advanced AI for Officers and Councillors: Part 1 – Practical AI Applications for Parish and Town Council Operations- 10am to 3.30pm September 3rd
New! Advanced AI for Officers and Councillors: Part 1
Practical AI Applications for Parish and Town Council Operations
Artificial Intelligence is already beginning to reshape how parish and town councils plan, communicate, make decisions and deliver projects. For officers and councillors, the opportunity is significant: used well, AI can reduce administrative pressure, improve the quality of reports and communications, support better planning, and help councils work more efficiently and strategically.
This in-person training day, Advanced AI for Officers and Councillors: Part 1, has been designed for councils that are ready to move beyond introductory AI awareness and begin applying AI in practical, meaningful and responsible ways.
The focus of the day will be on real council work and usable outputs. Delegates will explore how AI can support strategic planning, committee reporting, community engagement, public communications, project delivery, risk management and everyday council administration. Through practical exercises, participants will have the opportunity to develop council-ready materials such as structured proposals, committee reports, resident updates, project plans, risk registers and elements of an AI usage policy.
The session will also address the essential safeguards councils need to consider when using AI. This includes GDPR, accuracy, bias, confidentiality, reputational risk, over reliance on AI, and the importance of maintaining human oversight, accountability and democratic decision-making.
This course is not about replacing the judgement of officers or councillors. It is about showing how AI can be used as a powerful support tool helping councils save time, improve clarity, strengthen decision-making and communicate more effectively with their communities.
By the end of the day, delegates will have a clearer understanding of how to use AI confidently, safely and practically within a parish or town council setting, with tools and approaches they can begin applying immediately.
Programme
10:00 – 10:15 | Welcome and Context
- Introductions
- What “advanced AI” looks like in parish & town councils
- How this session differs from introductory courses
- Focus on practical, usable outputs
Module 1 – Strategic Planning and Decision-Making
10:15 – 11:15
Objective: Use AI to strengthen management planning, prioritisation and decision-making
Content:
- Developing parish and community plans using AI
- Turning ideas into structured proposals
- Supporting option appraisal and prioritisation
- Drafting:
- Committee reports
- Recommendations and decision summaries
- Improving clarity and readability for members
Practical Exercise:
- Convert a real council idea into:
- A structured proposal
- A committee-ready report
11:15 – 11:30 | Break
Module 2 – Communications and Engagement
11:30 – 12:30
Objective: Improve clarity, consistency and professionalism of council communications
Content:
- Drafting:
- Resident updates
- Consultations
- Website and social media content
- Translating complex decisions into plain English
- Adapting tone for:
- Public audiences
- Members and internal stakeholders
- Managing sensitive or contentious messaging
- Strengthening engagement and trust through better communication
Practical Exercise:
- Rewrite a technical council update into:
- A public-facing communication
- A short social media post
12:30 – 13:15 | Lunch
Module 3 – Project Management and Delivery (LAE-led)
13:15 – 14:00
Objective: Improve planning and delivery of council projects using AI
Content:
- Creating:
- Project Initiation Documents (PIDs)
- Project plans and timelines
- Risk registers (strategic, operational, financial)
- Identifying dependencies, constraints and risks
- Writing member updates and progress reports
- Applying AI to typical council projects:
- Capital works
- Community initiatives
- Grant-funded projects
Practical Exercise:
- Build a project pack including:
- Objectives
- Plan
- Risks
- Milestones
Module 4 – GDPR, Risk and Safe Use of AI (Joint Delivery)
14:00 – 14:45
Objective: Ensure councils use AI safely, legally and appropriately
Content:
- GDPR principles applied to AI use in councils
- What must not be input into AI tools
- Key risks:
- Inaccurate or misleading outputs
- Bias and unintended consequences
- Over-reliance on AI
- Reputational risk and public scrutiny (Comms perspective)
- Maintaining accountability:
- Role of Clerk/RFO
- Role of members
- Transparency, auditability and defensibility
- Developing a simple Council AI Usage Policy
Takeaway:
- Draft AI governance framework for councils
14:30 – 14:45 | Break
14:45 – 15:20 | Overarching AI Advice and Q&A
Objective: Embed AI into everyday council work
Content:
- Applying AI to:
- Meeting cycles (agenda → reports → minutes → comms)
- Other common council use cases
- Creating reusable prompt libraries
- Reducing admin burden while maintaining control
15:20 – 15:30 | Close and Next Steps
- Key takeaways
- Immediate actions councils can take
- Q&A
Delivered by Lewis Anderson PSLCC, an experienced Clerk, Councillor and Internal Auditor, and former County Council Project Manager. Lewis brings extensive real‑world experience of delivering projects within local government, ensuring the course is grounded, practical and tailored to the parish and town council sector and Dan Purchese from Breakthrough Communications.
Running time: 10am to 3.30pm
Venue: The Mezzanine Rooms, County Hall, Aylesbury
Cancellation: A full refund will be given if 14 days or more notice prior to the date of the training course is given. However, this could cause an event to be cancelled if it becomes uneconomic to run.
Members £110 per ticket
Associate County Association Members: £110 per ticket
Non-members £220 per ticket
