By Andrew Waller, Remit Consulting
Local authority estates teams have made real progress on data quality in recent years. Modern asset management systems have replaced the lever-arch files and spreadsheet patchworks that defined the sector not so long ago. Our latest research, conducted with ACES, found that ratings of "good" or "excellent" data quality doubled after teams implemented new platforms. That is a genuine achievement.
But the picture behind that headline is harder to sit with.
Three-quarters of estates professionals describe their workload as "heavy" or "extremely heavy." Only one in four feels it is manageable. These are not abstract statistics; they represent colleagues trying to deliver compliance, strategy, and day-to-day property management simultaneously, with budgets and staffing that have not kept pace with what is being asked of them.
Part of what I find striking in the data is the gap between owning a system and actually using it. When tools are not embedded in daily workflows, the efficiency gains stay on paper. The data improves; the pressure does not.
It is against that backdrop that I read the AI figures. Over 70% of respondents are either exploring or planning to adopt AI tools within the next 12 months, despite only 8% currently using them. From a sector not known for rapid technology adoption, that level of appetite tells its own story. I have described it elsewhere as a cry for help from an overstretched sector, and I stand by that.
My concern is sequencing. AI has real potential here, but automation built on inconsistent data or weak governance will not fix the workload problem; it will push it further downstream. For most teams, the immediate priority should be extracting more value from systems they already own, before adding another layer of complexity.
What the research shows me is a sector with no shortage of ambition. What it needs is the space, support, and investment to act on it.
The full findings from the 2025 ACES survey are available on request.