Fresh ideas and creative problem solving are taking centre stage at a new innovation hub known as The Base. The space, launched last year, has been designed as a catalyst for imagination, a place where council teams can experiment freely, rethink old challenges and turn bright ideas into solutions that genuinely improve life for residents.
Brent Council created The Base to make innovation a practical, everyday behaviour. The council purposely wants to move away from the perception that local government is slow and risk averse. So, Brent has built a space where teams can experiment, collaborate and design solutions rooted in residents’ needs. The Base provides opportunities for staff to work in a dedicated environment, away from operational delivery, helping to rethink problems and explore new ways of working.
Beginnings of The Base started with exploring new ways of working
The Base is designed to spark innovation giving teams room to explore new concepts, flesh out fresh ideas, and try some rapid experimentation all under one roof. The idea was introduced at the “Civic Sandbox” workshop, a gathering of innovators from across local government exploring how councils can work faster, smarter and more openly with residents.
Attendees swapped ideas on everything from hackathons to synthetic data, while emphasising the need for airtight information governance. For Brent, that responsibility sits with the IT and Information Governance Working Group. A cornerstone of The Base is making sure the “resident voice” isn’t an afterthought. Every workshop includes someone designated to challenge assumptions and ask the direct question: How does this idea help people living and working in Brent?
