Leeds continues to fly the flag for its evening offer

Leeds has received official recognition for providing a great evening out for a second consecutive year.

The city has retained its Purple Flag status for excellence in managing its evening and night time economy.
Purple Flag, an accreditation process run by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) is the benchmark for good night time destinations, similar to the Green Flag award for parks and the Blue Flag for beaches.
The award, which is presented annually, celebrates the city’s evening and night time offer between the hours of 5pm-5am as vibrant, diverse, clean, safe, well managed and providing a positive experience to customers. Evening activity is evaluated against a number of key themes including place, appeal, wellbeing and movement.

The application and subsequent work on retaining the award is led by LeedsBID (Leeds Business Improvement District) and Leeds City Council in conjunction with several key partners; all who play a vital role in the evening economy. Partner organisations include West Yorkshire Police, Safer Leeds, BACIL (Businesses Against Crime in Leeds), Leeds Pubwatch, British Transport Police, Public Health England, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust and Visit Leeds.
The strength of city partnerships, passion of key partners and positive, supportive businesses has been recognised by official assessors awarding the accolade.
LeedsBID Chief Executive Andrew Cooper said: “We are delighted that Leeds has retained its Purple Flag accreditation for the second year running, giving official recognition for the city in providing a great evening out.”
“The award is the result of continuous hard work, great collaboration and an ambition for Leeds city centre to provide a strong and varied offer, a well-managed environment and an enjoyable experience for all.”
“LeedsBID focuses on enhancing the city centre for the benefit of those who come to live, work and play here, and the evening and night time offering is an integral part of the city centre experience and economy – which we continue to look to strengthen and improve.”

Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for regeneration, transport and planning, said: “We are extremely proud that Leeds has been awarded ATCM Purple Flag Accreditation for a second successive year.”
This award is recognition of the tremendous hard work that is being undertaken by a range of partners to ensure that the night time economy in Leeds city centre is somewhere that offers visitors a well-managed, safe and vibrant atmosphere.”

The accreditation has led to initiatives such as the Leeds Evening Ambassadors as part of ongoing collaborative work between key partners.
The new team, primarily funded by LeedsBID, with support from Leeds City Council and BACIL (Business Against Crime in Leeds), provides a warm and friendly welcome to those coming in to Leeds in the evening for entertainment, leisure and pleasure.
With professional security training, the team are out on Friday and Saturday evenings until the early hours and work alongside other organisations to help ensure Leeds is an attractive, welcoming and safe place to be.