The Good Evening Hackney strategy is aiming to make the borough safer
The Mayor has been on a big push in recent months to improve London’s nightlife, including establishing a nightlife-specific taskforce, receiving additional powers to overturn local council licensing decisions, and creating a fund to support the expansion of al fresco dining areas. Now the local councils are getting in on the action too, with Hackney Council having just launched its first-ever evening and nighttime strategy.
Hackney is one of the busiest areas in London, apparently drawing more visitors after 5pm than almost anywhere in town, peaking on Saturday nighttimes. Shoreditch is also one of the areas receiving funding to allow venues to offer more al fresco drinking and dining and stay open later.
The Good Evening Hackney strategy has been created to make the neighbourhood safer and more inclusive, with welfare pop-ups already happening in Shoreditch. The teams at these stalls are offering people free water, contraceptives, phone charging, safety advice and QR code tags for phones that enable stolen devices to be tracked more easily.
A ‘Hackney Nights’ map has also been created as part of the strategy, helping visitors navigate the borough after dark by highlighting things like night transport options, public toilets and safe routes. Venues are also able to sign up for accreditation for this, enabling their staff to receive training, especially around drink spiking prevention, and noise reduction advice (with the view to reduce complaints and therefore closures).
Speaking about the strategy, Cllr Susan Fajana-Thomas OBE, Cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services, said: “It aims to ensure that local residents and businesses are the first to benefit from Hackney’s evening economy and that the borough stays safe, inclusive and vibrant at night.
“But it is also an acknowledgement that Hackney can’t stay at the cutting edge by standing still. We know that how people choose to spend their time and money is changing, and we want Hackney to remain a go-to destination through that change.”
