UK Government Met 137 Businesses About AI Data Centres — But Zero Environmental Groups

The UK government created its big plans for AI data centres without ever meeting with a single environmental group. A nonprofit called Spotlight on Corruption looked into how the policy was made over about 12 months. It found that top officials met with 137 businesses but spoke with only two community groups and no environmental organisations at all. The investigation raises serious questions about whether the policy was fair to communities and the environment.

Spotlight on Corruption sent 40 requests for government records to 18 different agencies. These requests asked for details about meetings and spending connected to the government's AI growth zone plans. The time period covered was from July 2024 to June 2026. The group wanted to find out who the government had been talking to while making these big decisions.

AI growth zones were a major policy under former Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The idea was to build giant data centres across five regions of the UK to boost the economy and create jobs. Starmer said the plan would 'turbocharge the economy' and bring technology to every part of the country. Some of the planned buildings would be larger than any data centre ever built in the UK before.

The investigation also found a pattern called a 'revolving door.' This means that 38 ministers, senior civil servants, and advisers left government jobs and went to work for AI companies. Nine of them came from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Critics say this movement between government and industry can make policies favour businesses over regular people.

Kamila Kingstone, a campaign leader at Spotlight on Corruption, said the government had let people down. 'The government totally failed at the most senior level to speak to environmental NGOs or community groups when developing its flagship policy on AI datacentres,' she said. She pointed out that data centres use large amounts of electricity and water, which can seriously harm the environment. She said these impacts should have been considered from the very beginning.

The Guardian newspaper also looked into the AI growth zone plans and found problems with the numbers. The reported job figures were not checked by outside auditors, and different government departments disagreed on how much electricity the data centres would actually need. Plans to power the buildings with renewable energy were described as unrealistic. This casts doubt on whether the government's promises can actually be kept.

There is growing opposition to data centres in many parts of the UK. Community groups have protested plans in places like Auchtertool, a small village in Scotland, and Brick Lane in east London. Member of Parliament Chi Onwurah warned that ignoring communities could lead to a big backlash, like the one already happening in the United States. 'It is critically important that AI benefits communities and is also shaped by them,' she said.

Spotlight on Corruption also compared the UK to other countries like Canada, Germany, and Australia. It found those countries talked to a much wider range of people before putting data centre policies in place and had stricter environmental rules. The report said the UK had 'fallen behind equivalent jurisdictions' by not doing enough. A government spokesperson defended its record, saying officials welcome the views of environmental groups, communities, and local councils.