Welfare hub faces closure as user numbers decline

The Home Office funding for the welfare hub has expired

The future of a safe space intended to help drinkers who may be at risk on nights out is in doubt, following a fall in the number of users and funding issues, a council says.

Number Forty, on Skinnergate, Darlington, faces closure after supporting vulnerable people in the town centre for three years.

The facility was set up by Darlington Borough Council and Durham Constabulary as part of the Safer Streets initiative, a nationwide drive to tackle violence against women.

Chris Knox, safety leader at the council, said: "Funding is a big issue, and we are looking for other partners to assist to continue Number Forty."

Currently, the hub is open from 9pm to 2am on Friday and Saturday night, and is staffed by trained security staff and street paramedics, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Knox volunteered for the service in 2022 and said he saw "a lot of people came through the door after consuming too much alcohol, being spiked, or being physically or sexually assaulted".

He said: "Now, we are getting very few people through the door other than to charge their phones and get flip-flops.

"The night-time economy isn't quite what it was."

The council is currently mulling whether to keep the facility open or offer an alternative service.