THE return of safe spaces, a pop-up ‘safe zone’ and more night buses could be on the cards in Southampton.

These were all part of the BID's (Go! Southampton’s) pilot scheme to make the city safer at night, alongside the security guard patrols, but came to an end at the beginning of this month.

These were funded by the Government's Safety of Women and Girls at Night Fund and organised by the BID and the city council's Violence Reduction Unit.

But if the city achieves Purple Flag status, it will receive funding from the Government’s Welcome Back Fund.

With this, the BID will work on commissioning a new night-time economy strategy, and this could see the return of the aforementioned initiatives.

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The organisation will be working alongside its partners at Southampton City Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Violence Reduction Unit, Yellow Door, The Hampton Trust, Solent University, University of Southampton, Street Pastors and St John’s Ambulance.

The Purple Flag scheme is similar to the Green Flag for parks and Blue Flags for beaches and recognises cities and towns that take measures to ensure their vibrant centres are welcoming and safe destinations for visitors and residents.

To gain Purple Flag Status, a city must have: an after-hours policy that shows a clear strategy based on sound research, integrated public policy and a successful multi-sector partnership; destinations that are safe and welcoming with all sectors playing their part in delivering high standards of customer care; methods to get home safely and easily; and an “alive” atmosphere at day and night.

 

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