'Hen parties love York because the city is safe'

A city which became notorious for the behaviour of stag and hen parties has said female groups choose to go there because it is a "safe" place to visit.

York has been re-awarded Purple Flag status in a scheme which recognises joint efforts to promote safe and diverse nightlife.

City of York Council's economy spokesperson Pete Kilbane told a committee on Tuesday that the city had met the standards required to create a safe environment and deter problematic behaviour.

He said the award was thanks to the efforts of York BID, which has displayed posters that encourage visitors to behave respectfully.

Kilbane said: "The poster says 'We've got enough history'; so don't cause problems.

"It has an effect, the Purple Flag is more about the things we do to get accreditation rather than the accreditation itself.

"Put it this way, we get hen parties coming here because they think it's a safe place to come, they'd sooner come here than other livelier cities in the north, so to an extent it's working."

The local Business Improvement District (BID) took over the management of the Purple Flag designation from the council in 2023, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The status, awarded by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), is an internationally-recognised scheme similar to Blue Flag awards to coastal towns for high beach standards.

Purple Flags are given in recognition of efforts made to create safe and thriving places for people visiting pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants at night.

MPs and councillors have highlighted issues with rowdy behaviour by hen and stag groups in York since around 2015, when the city centre was described as a "no-go area" and a council meeting was held. Pub and bar owners were invited to the meeting after North Yorkshire Police said groups travelling from the north-east and South Yorkshire were causing trouble.

Licensees who attended blamed the problems on revellers "loading up" on alcohol bought from supermarkets and consumed on trains to York.

In 2022, the city's MP Rachael Maskell said stag and hen parties had brought "devastation" and that homes in the suburbs were being rented out to rowdy groups.

She said she wanted the city to become more "family-friendly" and move away from "revelry".

She pointed out that much of the money spent by stag and hen groups was in chain bars and pubs, with little benefit to the local economy.

York BID said that at the time she made the comments, there had been a rise in groups partying in the city which had been attributed to weddings delayed by Covid.

The council later created a "guidebook" for large groups visiting York to drink, with advice including booking a restaurant table, after research found residents complained of an intimidating atmosphere in the city centre at weekends.

York was first granted Purple Flag status in 2021.

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