ICS.AI celebrates AI Appreciation Day with 127% growth and landmark contract win with Cheshire East Council
- ICS AI
- Jul 16, 2025
- 3 min read
16th July 2025
Government and higher education AI transformation leader targets 100% growth in 2026, over 50 new hires, and UK-wide office expansion
The Cheshire East AI transformation will serve over 400k residents, is part of a programme of work to address a £100m budget gap, and place the authority among the most advanced digital councils in the UK
In celebration of AI Appreciation Day, ICS.AI has announced a 127% revenue increase, national award recognition, and the signing of a £6.3 million AI transformation contract with Cheshire East Council, as it continues to set the benchmark for public sector AI innovation and transformation.
With a clear ambition to double in size again in 2026, ICS.AI is securing its place as the fastest-growing, profitable AI business in the UK*. The company is scaling its workforce with over 50 new AI hires and opening new regional offices across the UK over the next 12 months. Already powering 57% of UK Council AI omnichannel resident engagement, ICS.AI expects to handle over 10 million AI transactions in 2026 through its flagship SMART: AI Unified Platform.
The company’s AI solutions – already credited with saving Derby City Council £7.5 million – continue to reshape the delivery of citizen services. Building on this success, ICS.AI has launched a £5 million savings guarantee for qualifying councils, helping local authorities realise over 300% ROI, reduce total cost of ownership by up to 60%, and deflect up to 40% of incoming calls.
The most recent milestone in ICS.AI’s expansion is a three-year partnership with Cheshire East Council, covering a transformative second phase of its AI programme. The initiative – which is part of a wider programme of work to address a £100 million budget gap – will serve over 400,000 residents, and cement the council’s position as one of the UK’s most digitally advanced local authorities.
Under the agreement, ICS.AI will deploy its next-generation SMART: Unified AI Platform, featuring AI copilots for Customer Services, Adult Social Care, and Staff Automation.
Built on Azure OpenAI’s GPT-4o and deployed securely within the council’s own cloud, the platform brings an “always-on” citizen engagement model to life – delivering efficiency, accessibility, and cost savings at scale.
“This next phase is about turning AI from a point solution into a truly unified transformation,” said Martin Neale, CEO of ICS.AI. “Cheshire East Council is showing the UK and the world what responsible, scalable AI looks like. Our mission is to give public bodies the power to sustainably modernise services, improve satisfaction, and unlock financial stability through AI done right.”
ICS.AI’s momentum comes amid growing recognition:
Unlike isolated AI tools, ICS.AI’s SMART: Unified AI Platform enables full organisational integration, from public-facing chatbots to internal automation, and is built with GDPR compliance, ISO 27001, and Cyber Essentials Plus as standard. It is now being adopted across local government, higher education, and soon, the healthcare sector, with interest growing across European governments.
Looking ahead, ICS.AI aims to deliver hyper-personalised, agentic AI across all public services – supporting public sector professionals rather than replacing them. With a commitment to zero disruption to frontline delivery, ICS.AI offers a future-ready blueprint for ethical, impactful AI deployment.
“We believe the future of public services lies in AI that enhances human expertise, not replaces it,” added Neale. “With our growing client base, rapid expansion, and strong roadmap, we’re proud to lead not only the UK, but the world in public sector AI.”
Ready to explore how AI can transform your council's services? Contact our team to learn more about ICS.AI's unified platform and discover why councils across the UK are choosing us to deliver real results for their communities.
*Benchmarked against The Times Tech Track 2025.