CLIENT: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government & Association of Town & City Management

PROJECT: Purple Flag Development

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What were MAKE asked to do?

Supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (formally DCLG) the concept of Purple Flag was to create a ‘gold standard’ accreditation programme for well-run town centres at night. Devised by respected night-time thinker, Paul Davies, and led by the Civic Trust, (and subsequently by the Association of Town & City Management (ATCM) with support from the UK Home Office), MAKE were asked to examine the feasibility of such a scheme, refine the eligibility criteria and assess partner support for it.

How did MAKE do it?

  • MAKE surveyed a wide range of those who both manage night-time economies and high level decision makers in government and industry. We took the draft Purple Flag criteria (against which applicants, such as councils, town centre management teams or police forces would apply) and tested their feasibility.

  • We followed this up with an in-depth interview programme to gain qualitative feedback on the concept and to re-draft criteria.

  • This feedback was turned into a brief report highlighting how Purple Flag was perceived, its potential benefits, and crucially, the gaps and improvements required to make a workable scheme. We also advised on the pricing structure for potential applicants.

What happened next?

The research was used to simplify the accreditation standards and to develop a marketing and lobbying strategy for Purple Flag. Purple Flag was launched by the Minister for Public Health and to date has over 30 successful town and city centres, has a full programme of training and support and MAKE continues to support its international role out.

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

Our contacts with high-level decision makers in the government departments of CLG, the Home Office, Transport, Health and Culture, Media & Sport, as well as trade organisations and key industry figures meant we were able to establish scheme feasibility in a fraction of the time it would have taken anybody else.