Wicked issues and working together: The power of community-led innovation
From VR school transport pilots to inclusive film production, Rebecca Purnell reflects on the collaborative innovation projects she has overseen as Assistant Chief Executive of West Northamptonshire Council – and how it has felt to see their impact first-hand.
In all of my roles in local government, I’ve always had a strong interest in how we can use digital to improve people’s lives. How can we reimagine services altogether rather than just tweaking old ways of doing things? That’s where the exciting part of innovation lies for me. Not just doing the wrong thing faster or more efficiently, but completely reshaping experiences and outcomes for people.
That’s been a huge part of the innovation work we’ve been doing at West Northamptonshire Council. Our starting point was what we called our “wicked issues.” We began by asking ourselves: what are some of the really complex challenges we’re facing, and how might digital help us look at them differently?
School transport is a massive and growing cost for councils nationwide, and we were seeing that first-hand. But looking at the individuals involved rather than just the costs, it was clear that some of our young people were arriving at school upset, confused or late - maybe due to having a different taxi driver every day, or a route that didn’t work for them. It was impacting their education but it was also affecting their confidence, wellbeing and development.
We want young people to finish school with the confidence and ability to live full, independent lives. That includes being able to get themselves to college, meet up with friends or go to work. It’s about opportunity, freedom and choice.
That’s where the idea of using virtual reality came in, inspired by the incredible VR therapy work we’d seen from Rebecca Gill. The conversation within the council was about how it would be amazing if we could use VR to make travel something exciting and fun rather than something scary or overwhelming. Something that builds confidence rather than anxiety.
Through Digital Northants and the support from BT’s VR hub, we were able to pilot this idea. We were fortunate we have a truly amazing partner in Nicola Holland at Billing Brook School. Her passion and advocacy made the whole thing real. As a council, we can facilitate, but it’s the schools who know the students and have that trust with families. Nicola made the experience exciting for the children and worked hard to integrate the technology into their learning in a really meaningful way.
When Anna, our Chief Executive, and I visited the school to see the VR hub in action, we saw something truly special. Some of the young people were so nervous at first.
They were sitting on beanbags in the corner, not making eye contact. But by the end of the session, they were animated, engaged, buzzing about the experience.
One boy in particular really stuck with me. He was anxious at first, sitting alone at the front of the bus after the VR session, until Andy, the driver from Stagecoach, gently chatted to him, and ten minutes later this boy was beeping the horn, grinning ear-to-ear, saying, “I’m going to be a bus driver when I grow up!”
That’s the kind of transformation we’re talking about. We could have looked at the problem and just tried to improve the application form, for example, but instead we're seeing a real shift in what’s possible for these children in the future.
One mum shared how nervous she was waiting at the stop with her child, ready to take them home if it all felt like too much. But instead, another young person already on the bus recognised the nerves, came to the front, encouraged them and off they went together.
For me, the project is a great example of the council’s wider vision of community - one that’s about people supporting each other, inclusion and everyone having a chance to thrive.
Through Digital Northants and Nicola’s leadership, we’ve already started sharing this with other schools - the learnings, the technology, the partnerships. It’s something that could work anywhere.
A lot of my all-time favourite days at work have come through our recent innovation projects. Another one recently was the premiere of the film to promote the Women’s Rugby World Cup. The red carpet was out, the young people were so proud and what they created was outstanding. Genuinely, the trailer brings people to tears when they see it.
It was produced by the Northampton Film Festival working with young people with special educational needs or disabilities, facilitated through Digital Northants.
The children all took on different roles - scriptwriting, filming, voiceover, costumes - these are digital skills that spark creativity, passion and maybe even careers.
We could have procured a film and spent a lot of money in the process, but we never would have ended up with something so heartfelt and powerful.
Many of the connections that have led to projects like these have been made at the annual Merged Futures event at the University of Northampton. You walk into that space and see everyone - health partners, tech companies, education providers, council teams - learning from each other, finding connections, sharing ideas.
It feels like a melting pot of people who might not normally sit in a room together, suddenly sparking something new.
This year, I was talking to a telehealth partner about unobtrusive home sensors - small things that help loved ones feel safe without removing independence or dignity. That’s the kind of future we’re trying to shape.
I've seen the evolution of the council's part of the team behind Digital Northants, who also manage the council website. That's our shop window, where residents go for information, services and support. The team have done a phenomenal job inheriting a wide array of different legacy systems and prioritising accessibility, usability and people being able to do what they want to do as easily as possible.
Most people don’t (and shouldn’t have to) know if they’re using the planning portal, the revenue system or something else. To them, it’s just “the website.” We have developed our digital services to be in a great place, and with an ethos to try to always make things better.
Bringing that attitude of openness and continuous improvement and combining it with the University of Northampton's expertise, along with all kinds of local innovators from different sectors, has given us Digital Northants, which I think is quite unique.
Take school transport as an example. If it wasn't for the parents and teachers buying into the idea, or Cafe Track facilitating the sessions, or Nicola's passion for innovation, or BT providing all the tech free of charge, or the warmth of the Stagecoach drivers, or the university helping out with filming the footage we needed - if we hadn't had any of these people contributing what they could, we wouldn't have had the success we've seen so far with the project.
To spark innovation, we all need to bring something different and building a thriving community makes that possible.