Introduction
St Stephen in Brannel Parish Council recognises that artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies may offer practical benefits in supporting administrative efficiency, research, drafting, and communication. The Council also recognises that such technologies must be used carefully and within clear boundaries to protect standards of legality, accuracy, confidentiality, accountability, and public trust.
The Council’s position is that AI is a tool to support administrative work. It does not replace the knowledge, training, professional judgement, or experience of properly appointed officers, nor does it replace the lawful decision-making role of councillors. Responsibility for Council business always remains with the Council and its officers.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish a clear framework for the safe, lawful, and appropriate use of AI in connection with Council business. The policy is intended to support efficiency and consistency in routine tasks whilst making clear that AI must only ever assist human work and must not be treated as a substitute for trained and experienced officers, democratic accountability, or proper professional review.
Scope
This policy applies to all councillors, employees, contractors, and volunteers acting on behalf of the Council where AI is used for any Council purpose. It applies to any AI-assisted system used to generate text, summarise information, support research, produce transcripts, create images, or assist with routine administration.
This policy applies whether such systems are accessed through standalone platforms, integrated software packages, or other digital services.
Core Principle
Artificial intelligence is an administrative aid only. It is a tool to support productivity and assist with drafting, formatting, summarising, and preliminary research. It must not replace the judgement, knowledge, expertise, or accountability of trained and experienced officers, and it must not replace the proper role of councillors in debate and decision-making.
No output generated by AI shall be regarded as authoritative simply because it has been produced quickly or presented confidently. The Council recognises that AI may generate errors, omissions, biased material or inaccurate legal or factual statements. All users must therefore apply appropriate care, scrutiny, and professional judgement before relying on any AI-generated content.
Approved Platforms and Appropriate Use
For official Council business, employees must use only GovAssist or Co-Pilot where AI assistance is required. Councillors must use only Co-Pilot for Council-related AI use. No other AI platform may be used for official Council work unless expressly authorised by the Clerk.
Within those approved platforms, AI may be used for low-risk support tasks such as preparing first drafts, improving clarity and presentation, summarising material, organising information and assisting with background research. Such use is permitted only where the output is properly reviewed by the relevant officer or councillor before it is used, circulated, or published.
Professional Judgement and Officer Responsibility
The Council affirms that its trained and experienced officers remain essential to the lawful and effective administration of Council business. AI cannot understand local context, statutory duties, governance requirements, political sensitivity, operational history, or community impact in the way that experienced officers can. For that reason, AI must never be used as a replacement for officer expertise.
Officers must continue to exercise their own judgement in drafting reports, advising members, handling, correspondence, managing public funds, administering meetings, and carrying out the Council’s statutory and delegated functions. The fact that AI has assisted with a task does not reduce or transfer the responsibility of the officer concerned.
Prohibited Use
AI must not be used to make decisions on behalf of the Council, determine Council policy, authorise expenditure, exercise delegated authority, or replace the lawful role of members or officers in decision-making processes. It must not be relied upon as the sole basis for legal, financial, governance, staffing, or compliance advice.
AI must not be used to process confidential, personal, commercially sensitive, or legally privileged information through unapproved systems. It must not be used to generate content that is misleading, discriminatory, defamatory, offensive, or otherwise unsuitable for a public authority.
Accuracy and Review
AI systems may produce incorrect, incomplete, outdated or entirely fabricated information. Accordingly, all AI-generated material must be checked thoroughly before use. Facts, figures, quotations, summaries, recommendations, and references must be verified against reliable original sources where relevant.
Where AI has been used to assist with a document or communication, the final version must be reviewed and amended by an appropriate human user so that it reflects the Council’s actual position, legal obligations, tone, and intentions. No AI-generated output shall be issued as final without proper human review.
Data Protection and Confidentiality
The Council is committed to complying with its obligations in respect of data protection and confidentiality. Personal data, special category data, confidential Council information, commercially sensitive information, and legally privileged material must not be entered into an AI tool unless the Council is satisfied that appropriate safeguards are in place and that such use is lawful.
Users must remain aware that information entered into external systems may be processed or stored outside the Council’s direct control. Where there is any uncertainty about whether information can safely be entered into an AI platform, it must not be used without prior approval from the Clerk or other authorised officer.
Governance and Decision-Making
The use of AI does not alter the Council’s constitutional arrangements, statutory duties, or responsibilities. All formal decisions of the Council must continue to be taken by the Council, a committee, sub-committee, or properly authorised officer in accordance with the law and the Council’s governing documents.
AI may assist with the preparation of reports, agenda items, or draft communications, but it must not determine recommendations or final wording without officer oversight. Minutes, reports, public statements, and formal records remain the responsibility of the Council and its authorised representatives.
Transparency
The Council will seek to be appropriately transparent about its use of AI where such use has materially assisted the preparation of documents or communications. The extent of any disclosure will depend on the context, the significance of the output and any applicable legal or policy requirements.
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Users must take reasonable steps to ensure that AI-generated content does not infringe copyright, misuse third-party intellectual property or reproduce material in an inappropriate or unlawful manner. Any content intended for publication must be reviewed carefully before use.
Access, Compliance and Responsibility
Only those AI tools approved under this policy may be used for official Council business. Employees are authorised to use GovAssist and Co-Pilot only. Councillors are authorised to use Co-Pilot only. The use of personal AI accounts or unapproved AI services for Council work is not permitted unless specifically authorised in writing by the Clerk or by resolution of the Council.
The Clerk shall be responsible for overseeing implementation of this policy and for issuing such guidance as may be necessary to support its practical operation.
Training and Awareness
The Council will ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that authorised users understand both the benefits and the limitations of AI tools. Emphasis shall be placed on the need for confidentiality, verification, careful drafting and the continuing importance of human judgement and officer expertise.
Breaches of Policy
Any breach of this policy may be treated as a disciplinary matter in the case of employees or otherwise dealt with under the Council’s appropriate procedures. Any suspected breach involving confidentiality, data protection or information security must be reported promptly to the Clerk.
Review
This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if required by changes in legislation, guidance, technology, or Council operations. Minor administrative amendments may be made by the Clerk, subject to reporting to Council where appropriate.