Local authorities face constant pressure to deliver more with less—whether it’s managing projects, supporting diverse teams, or streamlining administrative tasks. At Newark and Sherwood District Council, we’ve embraced Microsoft Copilot as a practical, cost-effective tool to boost efficiency, improve inclusivity, and drive digital transformation across departments.
Practical Use Cases: From Housing to Executive Support
by Kristin McIntosh and Alexander Gamage
Housing Management Projects
In our Housing Management System replacement project, Copilot was deployed to tackle resource constraints and support a busy team. The results were exceptional:
- Video Management: Copilot automated the identification and labelling of relevant content in recorded sessions, reducing a four-hour manual task to just four minutes. This saved an average of six days per month, freeing up staff for higher-value work.
- Meeting Support: Copilot’s meeting recap and action list features eliminated manual minute-taking, reduced attendance requirements, and streamlined logistics—saving five days per month.
- Report Refinement: Copilot helped distil complex reports for stakeholders, halving the time spent and improving clarity.
- SQL Code Writing: For team members less familiar with SQL, Copilot accelerated learning and enabled the adoption of advanced system features.
- Communications: Copilot improved the quality and speed of presentations, workshop planning, and tenant engagement surveys, ensuring messages were clear and audience-appropriate.
- Inclusivity: Copilot’s real-time text-to-speech, grammar checks, and formatting support empowered neurodiverse and dyslexic colleagues, enhancing their contributions.
Departmental Feedback: Planning and Executive Support
The Planning Department uses Copilot for:
- Drafting concise, audience-appropriate emails and reports.
- Streamlining committee and board report preparation.
- Exploring PowerPoint and Teams for presentations and internal communications.
Executive Support (PAs) leverage Copilot for:
- Rapid meeting minutes and action tracking in Teams and Word.
- Rewording sections for professionalism and clarity.
- Overcoming challenges in hybrid/in-person meetings, with Copilot aiding accuracy and follow-up.
Quantifying the Impact: Time Savings and ROI
Copilot’s impact is measurable:
- Time Savings: Across departments, Copilot has reduced presentation creation from 120 to 20 minutes, health campaign articles from 60 to 15 minutes, and meeting minutes from hours to mere minutes.
- ROI: Using a conservative model (£23/hour median wage), Copilot generates approximately £3,840 in annual savings per user. Scaling up, this could mean £38,400 for ten users, with council-wide potential exceeding £50,000.
Lessons Learned and Recommendations
- Training Matters: Role-specific, hands-on training is essential—especially in prompt optimisation, hybrid meeting transcription, and data extraction from PDFs/images/handwriting.
- Expand Usage: Departments are keen to explore Copilot in PowerPoint, Teams, and Excel to maximise productivity.
- Share Best Practices: Building a shared prompt directory and recording training sessions supports continuous improvement and self-paced learning.
- Inclusivity and Accessibility: Copilot’s features support neurodiverse colleagues, making digital transformation truly inclusive.
Conclusion
Newark and Sherwood District Council’s experience shows that Microsoft Copilot isn’t just a headline-grabbing AI—it’s a practical, accessible tool that delivers real value for local government. By automating routine tasks, supporting diverse teams, and enabling smarter ways of working, Copilot is helping us build a more efficient, inclusive, and digitally enabled council.
Ready to start your own Copilot journey? Share your experiences, challenges, and tips with the localgovdigital community—let’s drive transformation together.