April 25, 2012 7.00 am This story is over 148 months old

Purple Flag award for Lincoln’s night life

Evening economy: Lincoln has been recognised as a great night out by being awarded Purple Flag status.

Lincoln has been recognised as a great night out by being awarded Purple Flag status.

Purple Flag is a town and city centre award — similar to the Blue Flag for beaches — backed by central government, the police and businesses.

The city has been awarded the Purple Flag alongside Ipswich, Sheffield, Aberystwyth and Southend, and joins the ranks of Nottingham, Birmingham and Covent Garden.

There are 26 other Purple Flag holders across the UK, including Bristol, Bath, Oxford, Manchester, Liverpool and Bournemouth.

To achieve Purple Flag status cities must be welcoming to everyone, offer safe ways for visitors to travel home, provide a good mix of venues and be appealing after dark.

The award acknowledges Lincoln as a leading example of a city offering a safe, diverse and welcoming centre for evening visitors.

Lincoln was mentioned as a city that demonstrates the value of a clear collective approach to driving success and continuity to improving their night economy.

A number of local organisations have worked together to obtain the Purple Flag status for Lincoln, such as the West Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership, Lincolnshire Police, the Lincoln Street Pastors and the city centre Pubwatch.

The City Council’s part in the bid was the 24-hour CCTV coverage, street cleansing in the city centre and cooperation with local licensing bodies.

This award also comes just one week after Lincolnshire Police started to enforce a Designated Public Place Order (DPPO), implemented by the City of Lincoln Council to tackle anti-social street drinking.

John Latham, Director of Development and Environmental Services at the City of Lincoln Council, said: “This prestigious acknowledgment is proof that our joint efforts with partners such as Lincoln BIG, Pubwatch, the Street Pastors, Lincolnshire Police and the University of Lincoln, as well as across the different council services, have combined to create a safe and welcoming city centre.”

Ben Barley from the West Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership, said: “The partnership will continue to develop its evening economy provision and this award enables us to continue to promote Lincoln as a safe and welcoming city.”

The five new Purple Flag towns and cities will be formally recognised at an awards ceremony in Bristol on July 3.

Source: City of Lincoln Council