Northampton town centre is flying a Purple Flag for the second year – winning this sought-after accreditation for what the judges described as an ‘entertaining’, ‘diverse’, ‘safe’ and ‘enjoyable’ nightlife.
Judges from the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) first awarded purple flag status to Northampton town centre last year and have renewed it this month– with Northampton one of over 70 town and city centres in the UK and Ireland with the award, which is comparable to the ‘Green Flag’ for parks and ‘Blue Flag’ for beaches.
ATCM judges praised the town centre for its strong partnership working, saying: “Some valuable initiatives have been implemented with the night-time economy which is always positive to see.”
Northampton town centre Business Improvement District (BID) funded the Purple Flag application and joint-led the process with Northampton Borough Council.
Mark Mullen, BID Operations Manager, said: “Northampton’s night life has so much to offer and we are proud to be flying the Purple Flag for a second year and to be working in partnership with the council and other stakeholders to ensure our visitors’ experience is a really positive one.”
Councillor Anna King, Northampton Borough Council Cabinet member for community engagement and safety, said: “We’re extremely pleased to have received the Purple Flag accreditation from the ATCM for the second year running, which is fantastic recognition for everyone’s hard work and all of the excellent partnership work that takes place to make sure Northampton’s evening visiting experience is safe and enjoyable.
“It also builds on the Community Safety Partnership’s ‘Out tonight? Do it right’ campaign, which launched in 2016 and over the past year has been extended to include a safer route home and a marshalling service at the Mercers Row taxi rank, as well as simple personal safety advice.”
