Growth in every postcode starts with safer streets
Yesterday's Budget set out the Government's ambitions for economic growth. Alongside it came Hope on the High Street, a new strategy promising to revitalise town centres, support legitimate businesses and restore civic pride.
But delivering the Prime Minister's ambition of growth in every postcode depends on something fundamental: people must feel safe in the places where they live, work, shop and travel.
Safe, clean and orderly streets are not simply desirable features of prosperous communities. They are the essential foundations for economic growth and a good quality of life.
The evidence is compelling.
Polling commissioned by Resolve and conducted by YouGov found that 41% of people believed anti-social behaviour had increased locally over the preceding three years. More than a quarter (28%) reported feeling unsafe because of it, while 63% of those experiencing or witnessing anti-social behaviour had not reported it. They are just some of the reasons why we've built FixASB.
Meanwhile, Ipsos polling for the Home Office, cited in the Government's new Hope on the High Street (opens external site) strategy, found that concerns about anti-social behaviour routinely limits visits to town and city centres for almost one in five (19%) respondents.
These findings should concern anyone serious about revitalising Britain's high streets.
The Government's strategy also confronts the corrosive impact of organised crime on legitimate businesses and public confidence.
Citing National Crime Agency estimates, it reports that around £1 billion of criminal cash is laundered annually through high street businesses, including some mini-marts, barber shops, vape stores and sweet shops.
These criminal enterprises can undercut honest traders, facilitate illicit activity and undermine civic pride. The Government's commitment to stronger powers to close criminally controlled or otherwise unlawful shops is therefore welcome.
But tackling these problems requires more than closing individual premises. Criminal enterprises can simply reappear elsewhere, sometimes under new names or ownership. Better intelligence, coordinated enforcement and information sharing between agencies and with partners in the private and third sectors are essential.
Importantly, the same principle applies to everyday crime and anti-social behaviour.
Research commissioned by the Office of the Police Chief Scientific Adviser, published in July, found that a 10% increase in neighbourhood crime was associated with a 1% reduction in local business output.
Perhaps most strikingly, the researchers found that anti-social behaviour imposes a cost to business that is comparable to violent crime.
We have long recognised how corrosive serious crime is to public safety, investment and confidence. It is time anti-social behaviour received comparable recognition.
Civic pride cannot be manufactured or sustained solely through regeneration announcements, new buildings or public spending alone. It depends on the everyday experience of people living and working in our communities.
It also requires people to have a sense of agency and ownership of the place in which they live - and confidence that the state and other local institutions, including businesses and charities, are likewise invested in their priorities.
Are the streets clean? Are public spaces welcoming? Can businesses trade without intimidation? Are persistent problems addressed, or normalised?
At FixASB, we believe better reporting, information sharing and accountability can help local people, local businesses and public authorities work together to tackle these challenges.
That means recognising the importance of seemingly small problems, intervening before they become entrenched and ensuring that disorder and apathy does not become normalised.
Growth in every postcode is more than a worthy ambition - it is necessary to secure Britain's future prosperity. But it must also be matched by rising standards of safety, cleanliness and order in every postcode.
As FixASB's public beta continues, we look forward to having more conversations, discussions and initiatives with partners who share our belief that we can make a real difference to persistent problems when we work together. If you are impacted and would like to get involved, get in touch.
