Safety of women in the evening and at night-time

The national focus on the safety of women at night has strengthened our determination to understand the scale of the problem in Cheltenham and to take action where needed.

In August 2021, we ran a survey to help understand how safe women feel in the evening and at night in Cheltenham’s town centre.

We were also looking to make a bid to the Home Office’s Safety of Women at Night Fund which if successful will bring in funding which whilst focused on keeping women and girls safe will also benefit all users of our town centre.

The survey was well received, with 638 responses

• 72% of respondents told us that that they don’t feel safe at night, rising to 75% not feeling safe during race week.
• 30% of respondents told us that they get regularly sexually harassed.
• 33% of respondents told us that these unwanted behaviours are happening regularly in pubs and clubs.
• Despite the frequency of these unwanted behaviours, 34% of respondents are not telling anyone about their experiences.
• And 94% of respondents told us that they have changed their behaviours following their experiences.

Respondents told us that all parts of the night-time economy need to take the issue of sexual violence seriously. Women in particular are telling us that they do not want to be blamed or asked to change their behaviours, instead they want to see a culture created where sexual harassment is unacceptable.

The findings of the survey are going to be presented at a Council meeting on 18 October 2021

We have worked with our partners, the police, the university, GRASAC and Cheltenham Safe to put a bid into the Home Office for some extra funding to support our work

Whether the bid is successful or not, we are committing to:

• Develop a pledge for women’s safety
• Incorporate the pledge within our licensing policy
• Develop a communications plan to create a culture where sexual harassment is unacceptable.