Councillors Discuss Welcoming Non-Drinkers To Brighton's Night-Time Economy

The night-time economy needs to be safer and more welcoming for people who don’t drink alcohol and don’t want to go to a pub, councillors were told.

Labour councillor Mitchie Alexander said that Brighton and Hove City Council was looking at ways to diversify the current offer.

Councillor Alexander, the council’s acting cabinet member for culture, heritage and tourism, said that when most people thought of Brighton and Hove’s night life they thought of pubs, clubs and restaurants.

She told the council’s new Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday, July 23) that many people wanted a wider offer.

She said:

“We have many people who don’t drink alcohol and don’t want to go to a pub. If you’re in the centre of Brighton at 8pm on a Friday night and fancy a cup of coffee, where’s open? Nowhere.

“As a city we need to be exploring how we can diversify the night-time offer which works well for the economy at the moment and what people visit for.

“But we need to be more inclusive and encourage people to stay longer and overnight or for a couple of days.”

Councillor Alexander said that the council was looking to join the Purple Flag international accreditation programme for cities with a thriving night life.

The Association of Town and City Management offers Purple Flags to towns and cities where night-time economies are well planned, with a wide variety of offerings and safe ways to get home.

Part of the work will involve identifying venues and safe spaces that support people who are LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and asexual plus).

Venues would need to align with the council’s approach to reducing violence against women and girls, she said.

Bournemouth, Bristol and Oxford have achieved Purple Flag status.

Mary Davies, from the Older People’s Council, said that many public toilets were shut by the early evening, adding:

“Accessing public toilets is a really big issue for older people coming into the city.

“It seems to be entirely absent when thinking about the night-time economy. Has any thought been given to it?”

Councillor Alexander said that the issue had come up when discussing diversifying the night-time economy.

She said that it would need to be addressed if Brighton and Hove were to welcome a wider variety of people who did not want to use pub toilets.