Approaches to managing the night-time economy

The term night-time economy is used to describe a wide range of activities from a trip to the theatre or a family meal to a night out at a club. Night-time economies are an important part of our towns and cities and are estimated to bring in over £60 billion to the UK economy every year.

The vast majority of people enjoy a night out safely and sensibly. However, the night-time economy can be associated with issues, predominantly around alcohol fuelled violence and crime and anti-social behaviour.

As licensing authorities, councils play an important role in regulating the night-time economy. A clear vision for the night-time, underpinned by a statement of licensing policy, can go a long way to setting the right tone, but it is the partnership approaches which have been held up as being most effective.

This publication brings together examples of initiatives driven by councils and their partners which have sought to address the issues they have faced locally.