Design Thinking, Digital Divides and Radical Decision Makers: An Interview with Ben Unsworth

In a career spanning councils, digital agencies and central government, TPXimpact’s Ben Unsworth has been at the forefront of reshaping local government. We speak to him about why councils are ripe for design thinking, why digital pros need a seat at the top table, and why traditional leadership models don’t cut it anymore.

Katy Oglethorpe: We recently published a new report with TPXimpact making the case for a new type of ‘radical leadership’ within local authorities. What do you think are the most important qualities for those at the top of councils today?

Ben Unsworth: The report and spending time with the radical leaders cohort was fascinating. They really embody a big shift in leadership in local government. When I started 20 years ago, command-and-control was the preferred leadership style. It was about performance indicators, private sector-inspired efficiency, and driving targets. But that approach lacked complexity thinking, compassion, and curiosity – things we now recognise as essential.

The problems councils face today – housing, homelessness, social care – are deeply interconnected. Traditional hierarchical structures don’t work well for solving these complex issues. The radical leaders I met are collaborative, open, and adept at navigating ambiguity. They’re applying frameworks like design thinking to experiment and tailor approaches to different problems.

“The problems councils face today – housing, homelessness, social care – are deeply interconnected. Traditional hierarchical structures don’t work well for solving these complex issues.”

But this kind of leadership is still fragile. One or two people in an organisation can shift its culture, but when they leave, you can see things revert. The traditional model is deeply ingrained – it’s not just habit; it’s structural. That said, it does have its place – councils have responsibilities like civil contingencies and elections that require stability and risk management, so change needs to be balanced with these fundamentals.

Katy: You’ve made several circular moves between local government and organisations like TPXimpact. What’s driven those transitions, and what have you learned?

Ben: There’s probably a deeper reason – I grew up in a forces family, moving every three years! But professionally, I’ve always felt that public and private sector experience complement each other, and help fill blind spots that one sector might have.

For example within a council, you don’t always get exposure to the full range of tools and methods needed to solve complex problems. From the design agency world, you bring a focus on user-centred thinking, prototyping, and iteration. But working within councils gives you an understanding of the real challenges – social value, public impact, and the reality of delivering services in a political environment. There’s no shortcut for spending time with residents – people experiencing homelessness or struggling with SEND services – and using that lived experience to shape services.

There’s also an aspect of responsibility in local government that you don’t always see from the outside. You’re on the list to respond in a crisis, trained in civil contingencies, and responsible for resilience planning. When something happens – floods, major incidents – it’s your job to help get the community back on its feet. That’s a weighty part of the role that isn’t always visible.

Katy: ‘Design thinking’ can sometimes feel like a technical or obscure phrase. Can you break it down in a local government context?

Ben: Design thinking is simple at its core: designing services around people’s lived experiences rather than internal processes. Someone once gave me a furniture business analogy – if you sell furniture, you have designers who create chairs that are both functional, attractive and economically viable. Local government is a services business, yet for years, we didn’t have service designers. We built systems around how departments functioned rather than what residents actually needed.

“Local government is a services business, yet for years, we didn’t have service designers. We built systems around how departments functioned rather than what residents actually needed.”

Service design is about bringing together teams – people who understand policy, operations, budgets, and technology – to create better, more intuitive services. It’s about making sure services work for residents while still functioning effectively within an organisation’s constraints.

A great example is an adoption service we redesigned in Buckinghamshire. The original assumption was that a clunky application process was the problem. But through service design research – spending time with prospective adoptive parents at different stages – we realised many people were ruling themselves out before even applying.

So, we built an online tool called Adoption Ready, a supportive, interactive guide that walked people through key considerations and provided positive nudges rather than deterrents. We also redesigned the information evenings – down to the room layout – to make them feel more welcoming. The result? A 200% increase in adoptive parents coming through the process. Other councils later adopted the approach, saving them from having to reinvent the wheel.

Katy: How far do councils need to go to catch up with the private sector digitally? And is it worth the investment given financial pressures?

Ben: I’d push back on the premise –  government isn’t inherently behind the private sector. There are plenty of brilliant digital examples – the Passport Office, the Government Digital Service’s work, local authorities like Stockport, Hackney and Camden. The more than 50 councils sharing open source technology through the LocalGov Drupal project. In some cases, councils use more modern, open-source tech than big companies do.

That said, there’s still a huge job to do. Councils often run hundreds of different applications for their services. Rationalising that – using common service patterns for things like reporting issues or checking eligibility – would create efficiencies. But it requires funding, skills, and leadership.

Investment is absolutely worth it. We’ve seen the worst-case scenarios in councils hit by cyberattacks – these don’t just take down digital services; they cripple core functions like social care and housing.

“We should be treating digital, data, and technology as integral to modern service delivery, not as overhead to be minimised.”

Digital isn’t a bolt-on – it’s embedded in service delivery. One of my frustrations is that councils rarely have a digital leader at the top table. You have statutory roles like finance and social care directors, but digital is often buried a layer or two down. We should be treating digital, data, and technology as integral to modern service delivery, not as overhead to be minimised.

The private sector companies that lead in digital see it as a driver of success – a profit centre, not just an expense. We need to shift our thinking in the public sector to see digital as a force multiplier – something that enhances every other part of the system.

The exciting shift right now is that the rest of government is really paying attention to local government through a digital lens. The Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology is thinking about how to support councils using central government digital expertise. The Cabinet Office is exploring test-and-learn approaches with experienced local government people like Nick Kimber from Camden.

Katy: Any final advice for people wishing to pursue radical leadership, or design thinking in local government?

Ben: Just that real radical leadership isn’t about small tweaks – it’s about fundamentally reimagining how services work. That takes courage, curiosity, and a willingness to experiment. But it’s tough. Pushing for design-led change in local government is exhausting because you constantly have to justify it, while traditional ways of doing things don’t get questioned.

“Pushing for design-led change in local government is exhausting because you constantly have to justify it, while traditional ways of doing things don’t get questioned.”

That’s why I move between sectors—I recharge by working in environments where design-led approaches are embedded and supported. But I may jump back into local government again—it’s hard work, but it’s where the impact is real.

Join our mailing list