Jan 6 • Jo Cox-Brown

If I Were a Night-Time Advisor or City Manager, These Are the Things I’d Be Focusing on for Q1

After two decades of being and working with and mentoring Night Time Advisors and Night Time Strategy Boards, 

the first quarter of the year is a reset moment for cities at night.

Budgets have landed (or are landing), data from the festive season is still fresh, and there’s a narrow window to move from reflection into action before summer pressures begin to build. 

If I were stepping into a night-time advisor or city manager role right now, these are the core priorities I’d be focusing on in Q1, not as standalone projects, but as interconnected foundations for a safer, more resilient and more culturally vibrant year ahead. 

NTES' Top Tips

01

Reviewing What Actually Happened Over Christmas and New Year 

Before rushing into new initiatives, I’d start with an honest review of Q4. Not just headline crime or ambulance figures, but:
  • Where pressure points emerged 
  • Which venues, streets or transport hubs struggled 
  • What worked well and should be protected 
  • Where staff, services or communities felt stretched 

This is the moment to bring together police, ambulance, licensing, environmental health, transport and venue representatives to look at patterns, not blame. 

Q1 is about learning while memories are still fresh. 

02

Re-centring Safety, Vulnerability and Welfare 

Winter nights often expose the cracks in city systems: 

  • intoxication 
  • mental health crises 
  • homelessness and vulnerability 
  • exploitation 
  • spiking and harassment 

I’d prioritise reviewing whether frontline staff, across venues, transport, security and public space, are properly trained and supported to respond. 

That means asking: 
  • Do teams know what to look for? 
  • Do they know who to call? 
  • Are escalation routes clear? 

Are we relying too heavily on police as the default response? 

Training isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s infrastructure. 

03

Checking the Health of the Night-Time Economy Itself

Q1 is a fragile time for night-time businesses. Cashflow is tight, staffing is stretched, and closures often happen quietly. 

I’d be asking: 
  • Which types of venues are struggling most? 
  • Are grassroots, cultural and LGBTQ+ spaces at risk? 
  • Are licensing, planning or noise policies unintentionally squeezing diversity out of the night? 

Protecting the mix and character of the night-time economy early in the year prevents irreversible losses later. 

04

Resetting Partnerships and Governance 

People move roles. Priorities drift. Momentum gets lost. 

Q1 is the right time to: 
  • reconvene night-time economy forums or boards 
  • refresh terms of reference 
  • clarify decision-making routes 
  • confirm who owns what 

Strong night-time governance depends on clarity and trust, not just enthusiasm. If partners don’t know how decisions are made, they disengage. 

05

Aligning Night-Time Strategy with Public Health

Too often, night-time management sits apart from public health, even though alcohol, drugs, mental health, sleep, loneliness and violence are all night-time issues. 

In Q1, I’d focus on: 
  • embedding night-time considerations into health strategies 
  • aligning harm reduction, safety and wellbeing work 
  • sharing data and insights across teams 

When public health and night-time strategy work together, responses become preventative rather than reactive. 

06

Supporting and Professionalising the Workforce 

The night-time workforce, venue staff, security, cleaners, transport workers, volunteers, is one of the most exposed and least supported groups in the city. 

I’d prioritise: 
  • training and upskilling 
  • clear safeguarding frameworks 
  • mental health support 
  • recognition of night-time work as skilled, complex labour 


A resilient night-time economy depends on people feeling valued, safe and prepared. 

07

Planning for Summer Now (Not in June)

Summer doesn’t creep up, it arrives suddenly. 

In Q1, I’d already be mapping: 
  • festivals and major events 
  • tourist peaks 
  • licensing pressures 
  • noise hotspots 
  • transport capacity 

Early planning allows cities to design safety in, rather than firefighting later. 

08

Communicating Clearly and Consistently

Finally, I’d focus on communication. 

Cities often do good work at night, but it’s fragmented and poorly understood. 

Q1 is the time to: 
  • reset messaging around expectations and standards 
  • communicate safety initiatives clearly to residents and visitors 
  • show that the city is proactive, not reactive 

Confidence grows when people understand what’s happening and why. 
Write your awesome label here.

Final thoughts

Q1 isn’t about flashy launches. 
It’s about foundations. 

If cities invest this time wisely, in learning, alignment, training and partnership, the rest of the year becomes calmer, safer and more creative. 

The night doesn’t manage itself. But with the right focus early on, it doesn’t need to be managed through crisis either. 

If you need help or you want a mentoring session, at NTES, we offer the first 30 minute session free, so please get in touch!
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