Swansea City Council Manage their Night Time Economy

28 November 2011

 Night Time Economy Practitioners attended the BII Award in Managing the Night Time Economy Course delivered by Swansea based firm Access Training and Consultancy Limited. The course was attended by representatives from within the Police, Licensing Authority, City Centre Management Partnership. Crime Reduction Partnership and Environmental Health.

The course recognises that the evening and night time economy of our towns and cities is every bit as vital as the daytime economy. This is true if we are to create truly sustainable and attractive places within which to live, work or visit. This does not mean treating 'after dark' separately from its ‘nine to five’ precursor, but integrating the planning and management throughout the day.

The night time economy does bring its own challenges and opportunities. It is a complex area covering activities as diverse as eating and drinking, clubbing, attending concerts, visiting the cinema and theatre as well as the late-night opening of shops and cultural institutions.

For an increasing number of people and businesses the night time economy also means work. For those planning and managing the night time economy, there are a large number of policies and strategies that need to be taken into account. It includes:

·         economic development

·         tourism and licensing

·         health

·         alcohol and drugs

·         crime prevention and safer communities

·         planning, transport and cleansing

·         culture, events and festivals.

Yet there is no single organisation that has a statutory duty to bring all this together. This fragmented responsibility can result in the absence of a strategic approach and the lack of coordinated delivery.

To address this complexity it is likely that authorities will have stimulated debate around a vision and strategy for the night time economy. It should meet local aspirations through effective engagement with residents, businesses and other partners.

In particular it will have paid careful attention to those who are excluded from or who are non-users of the night time economy as they will drive towards community cohesion.

The vision and strategy might be specific to the night time economy or it may be addressed as part of a wider process. However, it is unlikely that any night time economy strategy will succeed if it is not based on a robust analysis of the issues to be tackled. A clear set of short and longer-term objectives must be set, as well as take into account relevant guidance and best practice from elsewhere.