The imbalance extended well beyond green campaigners. Permanent secretaries and directors general held no meetings with community groups, and ministers met just two local community groups, both after their areas had already been chosen as AI Growth Zones. In one case the meeting fell on the very day the designation was announced. No national public consultation on the strategy took place, and half of the ten local authorities and devolved governments affected by the five announced zones reported no communication with ministers or senior DSIT officials beyond their applications.

AI Growth Zones are a central plank of the government's AI and economic policy, offering developers faster planning decisions and better access to electricity infrastructure. The Register notes the government has also been consulting on proposals that could let strategically important datacentres jump the electricity grid connection queue, potentially ahead of housing developments already waiting for power.

Spotlight on Corruption also flagged a "considerable revolving door": 38 ministers, senior civil servants and special advisers were hired by AI companies between July 2024 and September 2026, including nine who previously worked at DSIT. The government's AI Energy Council includes Microsoft, Google and Amazon Web Services but no environmental NGOs, and its Sustainability Working Group managed just one meeting between April 2025 and July 2026.

The campaign group wants new AI Growth Zones paused until consultation rules are tightened and developers must disclose their electricity, water and emissions impacts. It argues Britain is lagging behind countries including Germany, Canada and Ireland, which have run national consultations on their datacentre strategies.