More than one in four council professionals involved in local government reorganisation lack confidence that their authority will be viable on Vesting Day, according to new polling.
The survey of more than 60 council professionals by public sector AI specialist ICS.AI found that service delivery disruption during transition was the most commonly cited risk, identified by 33% of respondents.
Failure to achieve expected cost savings (17%), technology and systems integration challenges (16%) and reduced funding for local services (12%) were also highlighted as significant concerns.
Just 12% said they were very confident about their council's readiness.
Martin Neale, CEO and founder of ICS.AI, commented: ‘These findings reflect what we are hearing from councils across the country. The challenge isn't simply getting to Vesting Day. It's ensuring new authorities are financially viable and able to deliver high-quality services from Day One and beyond.’
