Stevenage Night Time Economy Group

Stevenage is fortunate that it can offer a vibrant and varied night life to residents and visitors alike.

The leisure park is home to nightclubs, restaurants, fast food outlets and a six screen multiplex cinema, and the diversity of what it can offer attracted over 2.4 million visitors last year.

The Old Town can offer a wide range of entertainment venues from the traditional pub to top class restaurants and all of the satellite estates have there own pubs and social clubs. This type of diverse entertainment industry within an area is more commonly known as the “Night Time Economy” and its successful management can often mean a marked reduction in alcohol related violent crime, public disorder and  anti social behaviour. This, in turn, can make a reduction on alcohol related accidents, injuries and hospital admissions,

The night time economy is managed by a multi-agency group, whose main aim is to ensure that every one who comes to Stevenage in the evening and at weekends can enjoy themselves in safety.

All aspects of the Night Time Economy fall into the groups remit including the towns CCTV system, licensed taxis and licensed premises.

Representatives attend from the Police, Fire & Rescue Service, stakeholders from all areas of the Night Time Economy and officers from the Borough Council. PubWatch, CabWatch and OffWatch are also members. The group fully supports PubWatch and its initiatives of ‘behave or be banned’ and ‘banned from one - banned form all’ and focuses on customer safety as its main priority.

The group meets once every two months with contingencies in place to deal with urgent matters which may arise between meetings.

Since the inception of this group, and its close liaison with PubWatch and the Police, violent crime and especially alcohol related violent crime has dropped sharply in Stevenage, and usual peak time spots like New Years Eve have seen a marked decline in trouble connected to licensed premises.

For more information about the Stevenage Night Time Economy Group please contact the Stevenage Borough Council Community Safety Unit on 01438 242242.