City of York Council is inviting residents and visitors to share their experience of and thoughts on York’s evening and night time economy to support plans to improve its quality and long-term future.

This single consultation will feed into three cross-party council Overview and Scrutiny Committees and, as such, is the first to cover such a broad sweep of interests from leisure to business and the public realm. It will inform work to develop a vision of what the evening and night time economy in York might look like in five years time – to be called Yorkafter5.

Feedback will also add to that gathered from an earlier consultation on proposals for a late night levy and the impact of alcohol on the late night economy.

York’s vibrant city centre is enjoyed by around 14,000 people between 6pm and 5am each week, with the bulk of activity in the city centre occurring on Friday and Saturday nights while supporting many businesses and jobs.

To build on that success alongside the needs of residents and businesses, the council’s Economic and City Development Committee is looking at encouraging a range of businesses into the city centre, longer retail opening hours and ways of enhancing evening access in and out of the city centre. The Leisure and Culture Committee is considering ways to encourage a wider range of evening cultural events and activities suitable for a broader range of ages, and ways of increasing overnight stays in the city, the Community Safety Committee is looking at how to improve the attractiveness and cleanliness of the city centre in the evening.

The Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is separately focussing on issues associated with the night-time economy which impact on the NHS’s resources and will be consulting with patients and staff in York Hospital’s Emergency Department.

To help address all areas, residents across the city are invited to take a minute and take part. The consultation includes a survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Yorkafter5 which will be open until 29 November 2013.

Copies can also be requested from scrutiny.services@york.gov.uk or collected from the council’s customer service centre at West Offices, Station Rise, York and must be returned by 29 November.