GO! Southampton, the city’s business improvement district (BID) has gained Purple Flag status. It’s an accreditation scheme by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), for cities and towns that take measures to ensure their centres of an evening are safe, diverse, vibrant, appealing and well-managed.
Part of Southampton’s application was its street cleaning, the absence of graffiti and litter, partnership working, and a triage facility run by St Johns Ambulance. GO! Southampton reports that it worked alongside the city council’s Violence Reduction Unit to introduce a night-time patrol of the BID area by two personnel on Fridays and Saturdays from 9pm to 5am. These measures were funded by the Home Office’s Safer Street Fund, which has stressed the safety of women and girls. The fund also allowed the BID to extend their business and retail radio network to night-time venues and hotels in the city centre.
Other initiatives included schemes run by Street Pastors, Synergy Security and Hampshire Police; the introduction of ‘safe spaces’, a pop-up safe zone and more night-time buses available for students.
Like many BIDs, Southampton’s runs security and cleaning teams, working in the BID area. Briefly, the idea behind BIDs is that they provide services, typically on high streets but also on industrial estates, that councils either cannot or will not; such as marketing. More on BIDs in the March print edition of Professional Security Magazine.
Councillor Matt Renyard, Cabinet Member for a Safer City said: “To be awarded Purple Flag status is a fantastic accolade and testament to the hard work of the council and partners across the city in making Southampton a safer place to live, work and visit.
“With our varied and vibrant night life, Southampton has so much to offer and we are committed to ensuring that we continue to be a safe destination that people can enjoy with confidence.”
And Stephen Manion, Executive Director at GO! Southampton, said: “The BID is committed to ensuring the city is a safer place to live, shop and work, so achieving the Purple Flag Award reassures us that our measures are working.
“We are proud that are city is not only a safe one, but welcoming too, and we want to continue providing security, assistance and peace of mind for visitors, students and residents alike.
“Having this status is a fantastic achievement and will help put Southampton on the map as an exciting, thriving and safe place to visit in the evening. We are looking forward to the awards ceremony in Liverpool later in March.”
Visit: www.atcm.org/purple-flag.
Photo by Mark Rowe; last summer, Southampton Bargate.
