Night Time Economy Strategy launched to support sector in Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester has launched a new Night Time Economy Strategy to support the sector, drive job creation and raise employment standards across the city-region.

Around 464,000 Greater Manchester residents work in jobs or businesses significantly active at night, such as hospitality, taxi businesses, the cultural sector, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics, representing a third of the city-region’s workforce. The new strategy for the has been developed by Night Time Economy Adviser, Sacha Lord, based on dialogue with businesses and workers in the sector.

The new Night Time Economy Strategy sets out how the sector will be supported during the period 2022-24 by the work of the Night Time Economy Adviser and the Night Time Economy Panel, which represents operators, local authorities, the VCSE sector, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said:

“There’s no getting away from the fact that the pandemic had a devastating effect on our night time economy. Right from the outset we were clear that employees and businesses had to have proper support, and that no one should be left behind. Now, as our towns and cities are coming back from the worst impacts of COVID, the cost-of-living crisis poses a further challenge to trades and livelihoods.

“We need to act and put in place a plan that recognises the unique assets and different needs throughout Greater Manchester, and our Night Time Economy Strategy offers that vision for a sector than can recover, thrive, and offer good jobs across our city-region.”

Night Time Economy Adviser Sacha Lord said: 

“The past 24 months have been the hardest on record for the industry but we now need to look ahead and focus on how we rebuild our night time economy.

“I am particularly proud of the leading initiatives the city-region committed to during the pandemic, and today’s strategy outlines how we will continue to support operators over the years ahead and the mechanisms we will put in place to enable those working within the industry to thrive.

“Together with the Mayor, I look forward to putting these initiatives in place as we continue to establish Greater Manchester’s position as a leader in the arts, tourism and events and hospitality sectors.”

The Strategy identifies seven priority areas for action:

• Safety – for residents, for visitors, and for workers who deserve a safe and secure environment
• Diversity – ensuring our night time economy is diverse, reflective of, and accessible to all communities
• Workers – moving towards improved pay, conditions, mental health and wellbeing, and career pathways
• Transport – working with Transport for Greater Manchester and private partners to ensure safe access and that transport isn’t a barrier to growth
• National and International Partnerships – building on the global success of United We Stream and supporting collaboration with UK and international partners
• Regeneration – supporting the night time economy as a vehicle to revitalise high streets and town centres
• Business and Sector Support – delivering night time economy surgeries in all 10 boroughs and building dedicated support networks across the city-region

Included in the aims of the strategy are plans to expand the reach of the Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter to more businesses in the Night Time Economy to improve working conditions and make the sector more competitive when attracting new staff. Andy Burnham added:

“The night time sector is a significant and incredibly diverse part of our economy, connecting everyone from hospitality and leisure staff, to the taxi and private hire trade, to 24-hour health and social care and manufacturing. That’s why, to support this Strategy, we want to bring in more employers to our Good Employment Charter and ensure that the benefits of good jobs and working conditions reach even more people.”

The Night Time Economy Strategy is available to read online here.