Greater Manchester's Night Time Economy Adviser, Sacha Lord, has praised Stockport on the awarding of its Purple Flag status, announced today (Friday).
The Purple Flag standard, launched in 2012, is an accreditation process similar to the Green Flag award for parks and the Blue Flag for beaches. It allows members of the public to quickly identify town and city centres that offer an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out. There are currently only 70 Purple Flag areas across the UK.
Sacha Lord, commented: "After accepting the role of Night Time Economy Adviser just over twelve months ago, Mayor Andy Burnham made it clear that he would like to see our Boroughs hold a Purple Flag accreditation."
"Following Bury, which has been awarded for four consecutive years, I am delighted to see that today Stockport has also bee accredited with Purple Flag recognition. This is a huge step forward for the town and complements the exciting plans announced this week by the Mayoral Development Corporation and the development of a further 3,500 homes in the area. It is clear that Stockport is putting its case forward in becoming one of the leading Boroughs in our region in terms of regeneration and development."
"Over the past 18 months, I have worked closely with the Stockport council, their Officers, Greater Manchester Police, key stakeholders and the BID to ensure the town was eligible for Purple Flag status, and today's announcement is a credit to the hard work of all involved."
Lord also confirmed a further two Boroughs across Greater Manchester have also started the process to become Purple Flag accredited.
The Purple Flag announcement follows Lord's blueprint, released in July, which outlined the priorities and changes to be implemented over the next 12 months across safety, transport and cultural diversity within the Night Time Economy in Greater Manchester. A particular focus has been placed on the development of night-time transport links, taking reference from Don's 24/7-night tube, to make it easier for residents, such as those in outer Boroughs like Stockport to travel at night safely.
Lord concludes, "Ensuring that there is a thriving night time offer, not only in Stockport, but across all of our communities, towns, city centres and high streets in Greater Manchester, is key priority in making our region one of the best in the world."
"We want to drive a unique visitor experience for international tourists, national visitors and residents and providing better accessibility through increased transport options plays a huge part in making this possible."
The Transport at Night survey asks residents to comment on current services, and what could be improved, not only for those out for an evening, but equally, those working at night time - from shift workers and bar staff, to taxi drivers and hospital staff.
Residents wanting to have their recommendations reviewed by Sacha should complete the two-minute survey here.
The survey will close at midnight, on Sunday, October 13, 2019.