Purple Flag

Coventry’s night-time economy has been awarded Purple Flag accreditation, recognising the city as a safe, welcoming and enjoyable destination after dark.

Purple Flag is an internationally recognised accreditation for towns and cities that demonstrate high standards in the management of their evening and night-time economy.

For Coventry, it recognises the work taking place to create an environment where residents, visitors and those working in the city can enjoy everything the city has to offer with confidence.

What Does Purple Flag mean?

Similar to the Blue Flag scheme for beaches, Purple Flag recognises destinations that provide a high-quality experience during the evening and at night.

Accredited areas are assessed on a range of factors, including:

• Safety and wellbeing
• A welcoming and inclusive environment
• The variety of food, drink, leisure and entertainment available
• Cleanliness and management of public spaces
• Safe ways to travel into, around and home from the city
• Partnership working between businesses and local organisations

Coventry’s Purple Flag area includes Coventry city centre, Earlsdon High Street and the Kasbah on Primrose Hill Street.

A range of initiatives help support a safer and better-managed night-time economy, including:

Ask for Angela

Many Coventry venues support Ask for Angela, giving anyone who feels unsafe or uncomfortable a discreet way to ask trained venue staff for assistance.

Best Bar None

Best Bar None encourages licensed venues to maintain high standards around customer safety, responsible management and staff training.

Taxi safeguarding

Safeguarding checks and partnership work help support safer journeys home after a night out in the city.

Business and venue partnerships

Businesses, licensed venues, the police, Coventry BID and Coventry City Council regularly work together to identify issues, share information and continually improve the night-time experience.

What Does This Mean to Coventry Businesses?

Purple Flag is more than an accreditation. It supports Coventry BID’s work to create a safe, welcoming and well-managed city centre that benefits businesses, residents and visitors alike.

By recognising high standards in areas such as safety, cleanliness, accessibility and customer experience, Purple Flag helps strengthen Coventry’s reputation as an attractive destination for the evening and night-time economy. This encourages visitor confidence, supports footfall and contributes to a stronger local economy.

Benefits for Businesses

• Increased visitor confidence through independent recognition of Coventry as a safe and welcoming destination.
• A stronger city reputation that enhances Coventry’s appeal to residents, visitors, students and workers.
• Supporting footfall and spend by encouraging people to stay longer and enjoy more of the city centre offer.
• Enhanced safety initiatives through access to training, partnerships and collaborative business support schemes.
• Stronger partnership working between Coventry BID, businesses, Coventry City Council, West Midlands Police and other stakeholders.
• Additional marketing opportunities to promote Coventry’s hospitality, retail, leisure and cultural offer.

Purple Flag demonstrates a shared commitment to creating a thriving city centre and provides a framework for continuous improvement, helping ensure Coventry remains a vibrant place to live, work, visit and invest.

How Can You Get Involved With Initiatives?

Coventry BID businesses can get involved in a range of initiatives that help support these aims and strengthen the city centre’s night-time economy.

This can include:

• Best Bar None – helping licensed venues demonstrate high standards in safety, management and responsible operation.
• Ask for Angela – giving customers a discreet way to ask for help if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
• ACT Training – free counter-terrorism awareness training that helps staff understand how to identify and respond to potential risks.
• Crime Reduction Meetings – opportunities for businesses to share concerns, receive updates and work with Coventry BID, police and other partners.
• BID Radio Network – helping businesses communicate quickly with other venues, Coventry BID and city centre teams.
• Night-time economy initiatives – businesses may also have opportunities to take part in campaigns, events and activity designed to improve the evening experience in Coventry.

Getting involved helps individual businesses strengthen their own safety procedures while also contributing to a safer and better-managed city centre as a whole.

If you have any more questions, email admin@coventrybid.co.uk.

Our Purple Flag Partners:

Coventry’s Purple Flag accreditation was achieved through a joint operation led by Coventry BID, working closely with key city partners to support a safer, stronger and better-managed evening and night-time economy.

Our partners include West Midlands Police, Coventry City Council and the Purple Flag Working Group, with each organisation bringing its own expertise, insight and support to the process.

By working collaboratively, the partnership helps identify priorities, coordinate safety initiatives, share information and continually improve the experience of people visiting, working and doing business in Coventry after dark.

This joined-up approach is a key part of maintaining Purple Flag standards and demonstrates the value of businesses, public services and city partners working together towards a shared goal.

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