Safety myths hurt town's nightlife, says council

Councillors said they feel safe in Luton despite what residents tell them

Misconceptions about safety are affecting a town's nightlife, a council task group heard.

The task group was set up by Luton Borough Council (LBC) to examine and make recommendations about how to revive the area's nightlife and provide a safer environment for residents and visitors.

Labour councillor Mahmood Hussain said 98% of venues had few or no customers after 22:00 and called for "drastic" action to make the town viable and thriving.

He said: "There's a perception the town isn't safe, even though we walked around it after 22:00 and didn't feel fear in any shape or form. We need visible policing."

The Farley councillor also suggested that licensing teams allow venues, such as cafes, to open for an hour longer to encourage more footfall, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Liberal Democrat Stopsley councillor Nigel Marshall estimated 90% of people in his ward have an "incorrect perception that our town centre isn't a safe place to be".

He said changing that would be "an enormous task" and "it won't happen overnight, as changing people's perceptions is difficult".

LBC's interim head of culture and creativity, Corey Albone, acknowledged: "That's an ongoing challenge we face and a big focus for the town centre task force."

He added that enforcement presence has increased over the summer, but changing public perception will take time.

The biggest challenge to overcome is [persuading] people who won't come into the town to see what the changes are like," he said.

A final report will be considered by the group on November 27, before consideration by LBC's executive in January.