MD2947 Night Time Enterprise Zones programme

1.1. The London Night Time Commission was created to help realise the Mayor’s Vision for London as a 24-hour city. In its Think Night Report, it called on the Mayor to “establish a Night Time Enterprise Zone fund that boroughs can bid into, starting with a Pathfinder Zone in 2020”.

1.2. Night Time Enterprise Zones focus on high streets and town centres, supporting boroughs and businesses to experiment with new ways to diversify and increase participation in their night time offer, support increased animation of high streets at night and increase opening hours. In addition, they enable consistent testing and evaluation of impacts and outcomes to inform wider learning and future projects.

1.3. They also highlight the important role night time workers and businesses can play in local economies. A successful NTEZ can provide a model of good practice for other high streets and town centres across London, allowing them to be part of the capital’s wider economic recovery from the pandemic.

1.4. NTEZs are led by local authorities, in partnership with businesses and the community, and are rooted in their local area. They are guided by a vision that is created by residents, businesses, workers and the authorities.

Night Time Enterprise Zone pilot project

1.5. A pilot project took place in 2019, approved under cover of MD2451, where boroughs could apply for £75,000 of funding, which they had to match with a mix of cash and/or in-kind support. Seven boroughs applied, with Waltham Forest successfully bidding to pilot an NTEZ on Walthamstow High Street.

1.6. For the pilot, Waltham Forest was tasked with:

• developing a detailed understanding of the challenges facing residents, businesses and workers at night
• experimenting with ways to diversify the high street offer; encouraging extended opening times; increasing awareness of the night time offer; and activating the high street at night
• evaluating and learning from the activities; developing an action plan; and making recommendations to help other London high streets thrive at night

1.7. The pilot demonstrated a wealth of opportunities to reimagine and animate high streets later into the evening and found that a night time economy does not need to result in a monoculture based on alcohol consumption.

1.8. High street footfall increased by 22 per cent during the pilot, perceptions of safety improved, and the programme helped create a more inclusive and welcoming environment, encouraging families to extend their stay on the high street. Repurposed council buildings also provided a much-needed space for young people to meet and participate in the life of Walthamstow.

1.9. The success of the pilot suggests that NTEZs could be a key tool in local strategies to support high street recovery across London.

1.10. A report detailing the findings of the pilot and a toolkit on how to engage businesses in night time activity were produced by Waltham Forest, creating tools and a blueprint for other local authorities to develop their own work.

Expansion of the NTEZ programme

1.11. Following the success of the Walthamstow pilot scheme, the GLA wishes to expand its NTEZ programme.

1.12. This decision form seeks the Mayor’s approval to allocate and spend £500,000 of funding from the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP) budget on the expansion of the NTEZ programme to other boroughs.

1.13. The programme will be managed by the GLA’s 24 Hour London team, with input from other policy teams within the GLA to inform development, particularly the Culture and Creative Industries and Regeneration units, as well as input from London Councils.

1.14. Local authorities will be invited to apply for NTEZ grant funding. Applications will be evaluated by GLA officers with (at least) the three highest-scoring boroughs receiving grant funding. Funding will be revenue, with a requirement to match either with cash and/or in-kind support.

1.15. Funded activity will be delivered by successful local authorities and the partners included in their bid. Applications will identify a specific high street or town centre where the NTEZ activities will take place. Applications will need to respond to the three aims of NTEZ:

• reviving London’s high streets to aid recovery with increased activity after 6pm
• giving Londoners better access to their city after 6pm
• supporting good work standards for night workers.

1.16. Examples of activities during the pilot project included bringing vacant council-owned assets into night time use for local communities; matching cultural partners with high street businesses to host activities; and holding events as a draw for people to come to the high street.

1.17. Applicant boroughs will need to demonstrate how they plan to engage with their diverse local communities and respond to their needs and priorities in delivering NTEZ projects. This aligns with the first stages of producing holistic night time strategies, as covered in guidance produced by the Mayor.

1.18. Therefore applicant boroughs will also be asked to commit to the development of a night time strategy, that includes the location of the zone, as required by the Mayor’s London Plan. This reflects the economic, cultural and social benefit of holistic planning for London’s communities between 6pm and 6am.

1.19. LEAP budget funding will also enable a full-time, fixed-term officer post to manage the programme to be created. The post holder will support boroughs in applying for funding and work with successful boroughs to support their NTEZ delivery.

1.20. The table below sets out the proposed expenditure of the LEAP funding:

Capturing and disseminating learnings

1.21. An external evaluator for the programme will be procured through a competitive process to produce a report on the findings of the programme. This will benefit other boroughs by creating a knowledge and evidence base on how they can develop their own NTEZs.

1.22. The report and findings will be shared through the Night Time Borough Champions Network, chaired by the Night Czar. The group is made up of councillors and officers with responsibility for night time policy development in boroughs. It is used as a forum for sharing best practice and offering support in the development of night time programmes and strategies.

1.23. A similar report was produced for the pilot project and has proved invaluable in communicating the opportunities NTEZs can offer to boroughs and how they might think about them when developing their own holistic night time strategies.

1.24. Funding for the evaluation will come from the 24 Hour London line of the Culture and Creative Industries budget in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Approval for this expenditure will be sought under cover of a separate decision form.

2.1. The requested funding will support successful borough delivery of at least three NTEZ projects across London, involving detail engagement with residents, businesses and community groups to increase the diversity of the night time offer, support night works and increase night time jobs.

2.2. It will support the achievement of the following objectives:

• increase footfall on the high street after 6pm
• increase the number of businesses operating after 6pm
• increase economic activity after 6pm, supporting the wider recovery of the high street

2.3. The expected outcomes of the programme (which will be refined once the successful zones have been identified) are to:

• make high streets and town centres more diverse and accessible to all after 6pm
• bring vacant and underused spaces into use after 6pm
• expand use of the high street and public realm after 6pm
• make high streets safer, and help users feel safer, after 6pm
• create new businesses and support existing businesses to operate after 6pm
• provide evidence of how extended opening hours boost revenues, give Londoners better access to the high street after 6pm and improve the wellbeing of night workers
• provide evidence of community-led activities supporting local recovery and reflecting London’s diversity
• influence positive activity and investment in other boroughs who do not host NTEZs.
  

3.1. Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ to the need to: eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; and advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.

3.2. The programme supports the High Streets for All mission objective of working with London’s diverse communities to deliver enhanced public spaces and exciting new uses for underused high street buildings. This was the approach taken during the pilot project, where detailed engagement and consultation took place, including with young people, older Londoners and those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, to shape the activities that took place during the project. Key findings from this consultation showed that there were concerns around safety at night, including gang behaviour, crime and provision of adequate lighting, a lack of spaces for young Londoners to use, a lack of inclusive facilities and lack of affordable spaces for more diverse uses to emerge. All of these issues were addressed during the pilot and any projects funding through this programme will be expected to build further on the learning from the pilot.

3.3. The programme supports the aims of the Mayor’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to create a fairer, more equal, integrated city where all people feel welcome by creating more opportunities for Londoners, including those working at night, to access their high streets.

4.1. The programme supports Policy HC6 of the London Plan, encouraging boroughs to plan, promote and diversify their night time offers, and also the High Streets for All mission objective to deliver enhanced public spaces and exciting new uses for underused high street buildings.

4.2. The programme supports the Mayor’s Culture Strategy and Vision for London as a 24 Hour City in wanting to make London a leader in the way we plan for life at night.

4.3. It also supports several LEAP objectives, including:

• local economies – enable an inclusive city at night, with pleasant and healthy places to work and live that will benefit all Londoners and their everyday experience of the city. Enrich the city’s public and civic spaces around the clock
• small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) – supporting the recovery of the high street by enabling SMEs to innovate, including extending opening hours and activating underused spaces to ensure a more diverse offering on the high street after 6pm
• skills and employment – supporting existing night workers and creating new opportunities for entrepreneurship after 6pm.

4.4. Successful boroughs are required to demonstrate meaningful consultation with local stakeholders, to ensure the activities they propose benefit the widest possible range of Londoners and do not impact any groups negatively.

Impact assessments and consultations

4.5. The GLA’s Cultural Strategy Group for London (known as the Mayor’s Cultural Leadership Board) is a statutory group comprising of senior leaders from across the creative and cultural industries. These ambassadors shape the Mayor’s Culture Strategy and represent diverse voices across the industry.

4.6. The 24 Hour London Team held 29 workshops and roundtables with stakeholders during the pandemic to ensure the GLA’s response is industry and local authority led. These meetings have helped shape recovery activity, including the expanded Night Time Enterprise Zone programme.

4.7. The London Night Time Commission’s Think Night report and recommendations were informed by specialist evidence sessions and consultation responses from 83 individuals and organisations representing public authorities, residents, businesses and community groups.

4.8. Key risks for the programme:

4.9. There are no known conflicts of interest for anyone involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision.

5.1. Approval is sought for the expenditure of £500,000 over financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24, as outlined in 1.20, for the NTEZ programme. Applications will be invited from borough councils for the grant funding with the requirement to match either with cash or in-kind support.

5.2. The budget provision for this programme has been included in the 2022-23 indicative budget proposals (financed by LEAP funding), to be held within the Culture and Creative Industries unit and will be subject to the approval of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 GLA budget.

5.3. The appropriate break clauses will be included in all contracts/grant agreements associated with the programme to facilitate the early termination of the agreement(s) should the GLA’s funding not be available in future years and to create flexibility in withholding funding where project outputs are deemed to be unsatisfactory (at the discretion of the GLA). All appropriate budget adjustments will be made.

6.1. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

• the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the GLA’s statutory powers to do such things considered to further or that are facilitative of, or conducive or incidental to, the promotion of economic development and wealth creation in Greater London
• in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sought, officers have complied with the Authority’s related statutory duties to:
  • pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality of opportunity for all people
  • consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom
  • consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty – namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010; and to advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations, between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender reassignment, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership status, and pregnancy and maternity) and persons who do not (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.3. If the Mayor is minded to make the decisions sought, officers must ensure that, to the extent that the expenditure concerns the award of grant funding, it is distributed fairly, transparently, in manner that affords value for money, and in accordance with the requirements of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code; and that grant-funding agreements are put in place between, and executed by, the GLA and recipients before any commitment to fund is made:

• payment for services, those services are procured in liaison with TfL Procurement and in accordance with the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code and contracts are put in place between and executed by the GLA and contractors before commencement of such services
• payment for staffing resourcing at the GLA, if such staffing is to be covered by establishing any new roles.