Evening and night time experiences of Adur and Worthing’s town centres are sought

How safe residents feel going out at night into town post-lockdown and what they do when they are there are some of the questions Adur & Worthing Councils have posed in the survey.

The resulting study into the evening and night time economies (ENTE) will be sent to the councils’ leaders as they work on policies to help revive town centres. Questions around Covid precautions, personal safety and quality of entertainment are also included.

The survey is being conducted by members of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) who have the responsibility of holding the executive leaders of the councils accountable for decisions.

Bob Smytherman, chairman of the ENTE working group, said: “As we emerge from this terrible pandemic which has taken its toll on us all and our economy it is important that we involve residents in discussions about the future direction of our public spaces.

“To start that process we would like to hear from them on a range of issues that include their perceptions of safety, crime and disorder and what they think of the current offering of entertainment and other activities in our centres.

“We will then work as hard as we can to press councils to do all they can to support the recovery of the businesses in our centres, attract new ones and develop new strategies for the future. We know there are already some fantastic things to do in the evening and that councils are already doing much to help such as bringing more people to live in centres and redesigning the public realm to make experiences more pleasant but we all know there is more to do.”

Cllr Smytherman recently led councillors Sally Smith, Andy McGregor, Joe Pannell and Russ Cochran of the working party on a night-time fact finding tour of Worthing, Shoreham, Southwick, Sompting and Lancing, the centres which are the subject of the study.

Residents are being asked to complete the survey which will then form the basis of proposals developed by JOSC to be presented to the councils’ joint strategic committee, the body of executive members who formulate policy.

Residents wishing to have their say can follow this link: Public survey - ENTE.

The deadline for submissions is October 18.