A BID has been put forwarded to get Purple Flag status for the city’s evening and night-time economy.

Purple Flag seeks to raise the standard and appeal of towns and city centres between the hours of 5pm and 5am.

The award recognises those towns and city centres that offer an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out for local residents and visitors.

A launch ceremony was held at the Vestry and Chapel Nightclub on Monday night.

Amanda Newbery, the chair of the Purple Flag steering group,said: “The re-accreditation will recognise the crucial work being carried out by the night-time stakeholders which has been instrumental in supporting various strategies and activities during Salisbury’s period of recovery, helping to sustain vibrancy and safety in our night-time economy.”

Salisbury has been awarded the Purple Flag accreditation since 2012 and the application has been supported by Salisbury BID, Salisbury City Council, Wiltshire Council, Wiltshire Police and businesses.

Councillor Pauline Church, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for South Wiltshire Recovery, said: “It’s great to see so many organisations committed to working together to provide a greater and more welcoming night-time offer and to help make people feel safe in the city.

"Our submission demonstrates that we are meeting and, in some cases, surpassing the Purple Flag standards of excellence in managing the evening and night-time economy, which is a testament to everyone involved.”

To support the application, Salisbury BID and Salisbury City Council commissioned a perception survey with 744 responses received. 91 per cent of those surveyed were positive when referring to Salisbury city centre after 5pm with 78 per cent of people saying they felt very safe or fairly safe when arriving in the city centre. 

Inspector Pete Sparrow, from Wiltshire South Community Policing Team, said: “Salisbury’s submission for renewal of the Purple Flag status gives confidence to our residents and visitors that Salisbury is a safe city in which to live, work and socialise.

“We work hard with our partner agencies, including Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council, to ensure people are able to safely enjoy the various attractions that our night-time economy has to offer.

“As we build up to the Christmas season, I have confidence that our partners in the night-time economy continue to work together to provide safe nights out over the festive period.”

Salisbury City Council leader Jeremy Nettle added: "Salisbury City Council very much supports the Purple Flag initiative for Salisbury. This is about Salisbury being ’Live after Five’.

"This initiative is about making changes, there is strong evidence that businesses staying open until 7-8 pm do 50 per cent more business than those open from 9am to 11am.

"In addition staggering home commute reduces congestion and therefore city pollution as well as being less stressful."

He added: "We as a council are keen to put even more events on but the BID and the businesses have to respond accordingly. This is about working together to make the city vibrant after 5pm.

"The night-time economy is increasingly being recognised as a driver of economic growth, but for it to succeed, a broad range of professionals need to cultivate it. Whether you work in planning, health, economics, transport, the arts or property – the night time economy can no longer be an afterthought. It’s no longer about pubs and clubs it’s about offering an experience for all ages.

"The time to act is now, we want to encourage residents and visitors to enjoy what this fabulous city has to offer from music, art and food.

"Now we need other providers to seize the opportunity and work with us in delivering a vibrant and safe city after 5pm."

The launch event on Monday night also marked the launch of the Best Bar None scheme in Salisbury and Amesbury by Robert Humphreys MBE, chairman of the national Best Bar None scheme.

A range of Purple Flag events are also taking place between 20 and 26 October 2019 including games and quiz nights, films, salsa dancing, live music, Salisbury Carnival and much more.

Robin McGowan, the chief executive of Salisbury BID, said: “Not only is the Purple Flag accreditation important for the city, but the actual application process is a hugely valuable piece of work as it takes us through a comprehensive review of our standards and processes which are designed to help transform our evening and night-time economy.

“The BID supports Salisbury’s evening and night-time economy with a number of initiatives including funding for the Purple Flag accreditation, CCTV funding and support for Pubwatch.”

The Purple Flag programme is managed by the Association of Town and City Management which works alongside a partnership of key stakeholder groups backed by Government, police and businesses