Your weekly briefing from CSR Host Consulting on business cases, evaluation, digital transformation and UK public policy. Week ending 11 October 2026.
By CSR Host Press
This week’s stories come back to one question: who is checking that the investment case stacks up? New research shows that the councils and combined authorities in line for more devolved spending lack the in-house skills to appraise it. Fresh survey data shows organisations still struggling to show what their AI spending actually delivers. And a £7.7m write-off at the Cabinet Office shows how much a weak case can cost. It was a quieter week for Green Book and Magenta Book guidance, with no new HM Treasury publications. The practical questions of appraisal and evaluation, though, were everywhere.
Photo: Richard Bell, Unsplash
Devolution’s hidden bottleneck: appraisal capacity
A study from the University of Birmingham’s City-REDI institute, reported by Civil Service World on 7 October, surveyed officers at 57 English authorities. It found that 62% of them say their organisation has little or no dedicated expertise to assess investment proposals and demonstrate value for money. 76% have never held the Better Business Cases qualification, and 67% turn to consultants for economic cases, often because their teams are simply too stretched. The findings land with a devolution white paper expected in the coming weeks and more spending decisions moving to mayors and local leaders.
In practice, the report’s own reading matters most: the expertise is there, but it is overstretched. For councils and combined authorities, the answer is not to outsource the thinking. It is to build a core of officers who can set a clear strategic case, test options honestly and act as an intelligent client when specialist support is needed. Shared appraisal resources across neighbouring authorities, as the report recommends, could be a sensible route for smaller districts heading into reorganisation.
Need Green Book business case support or appraisal training for your team? Talk to CSR Host.
Photo: Steve A Johnson, Unsplash
AI value is rising, but are we measuring the right thing?
BCG’s 2026 Applied AI Index, covered by Consultancy.uk on 8 October, surveyed more than 1,300 senior leaders. Almost half now say their organisation gets value from AI, up from around 40% in previous years. Revenue gains remain modest, though, and 95% of the most mature firms track AI against clear KPIs or the P&L. Separately, a commentary piece from 6 October argued that most AI business cases count “time saved” when the bigger prize is removing unnecessary work altogether.
For public bodies, charities and SMEs weighing up AI tools, the lesson is familiar from any Green Book appraisal: define the benefits before you buy. Hours saved rarely turn into cashable savings unless someone decides what the freed-up capacity will be used for. A good AI business case names the process being redesigned, sets a baseline and plans how benefits will be measured and evaluated from day one.
Planning an AI or digital investment? Get a benefits case you can defend.
Photo: LinkedIn Sales Solutions, Unsplash
A £7.7m lesson in digital transformation
The Cabinet Office has written off £7.7m on its abandoned civil service-wide applicant tracking system, Civil Service World reported on 6 October. The original business case put costs at £41m against £112m of benefits. But the shared services clusters expected to use the platform were never required to adopt it, and buy-in did not follow. A feasibility study then recommended a different approach. The existing Civil Service Jobs platform is expected to remain in use until 2030.
The lesson for any organisation running a digital programme is that the management case matters as much as the economic case. A benefits ratio approaching 3:1 means little if the people who must change their ways of working have not signed up. Testing stakeholder commitment and adoption risk early, and running a proportionate feasibility study before committing to a contract, is far cheaper than a reset halfway through.
Test your digital programme before you commit: CSR Host feasibility studies.
Also noted this week. The LGA found that council spending on children in care has risen by around £1bn a year, reaching £9.5bn in 2025/26, and called for investment in prevention in the Autumn Budget. Bibby Financial Services’ latest tracker shows SMEs are owed an average of £72,000 in outstanding invoices, with 60% reporting slower payment. The government also accepted all 44 recommendations of the NHS doctor-led AI Commission, with an implementation roadmap due by spring 2027.
CSR Host Consulting helps councils, community organisations, charities and public-sector programmes make well-evidenced decisions. Our work includes HM Treasury Green Book business cases, feasibility studies, socio-economic impact assessment, evaluation and digital transformation. If any of this week’s themes touch on your work, get in touch; we would be glad to talk it through.