Purple flag raised to recognise Watford night life excellence (From Watford Observer)

As the award is for night life I would have expected the flag to be raised in the evening, or maybe the mayor does not feel the high street is safe enough for her at night.

Is this an award for being the "Spew up capital of Herts",the "I can smash more glass than you" or the "Keep out of Watford at night if you want to be safe ".

As for:
"The Purple Flag assessors recognised the hard work and dedication of all partner agencies who work closely to ensure that those who visit the town enjoy a safe evening. This award gives us a strong platform from which to move forward and address issues together.” what a load of Bull.

They paid for the flag award, remember?

If a council is prepared to pay for it, I doubt they would not award one. It is therefore pretty meaningless.

Only this morning I was awarded (by myself) the Purple Flag of Merit for eating breakfast. All I have to do now is go out and buy a cheap purple flag and fly it over my house. I might buy myself a medal as well, why not?

Dotty rejoicing in this fraud is so transparent. I couldn't bear to watch the video though as I've just had a large breakfast.

BTW, is Dotty actually wearing the flag? Oops, here comes that breakfast again....

I think it is a great scheme. If you read the Purple Flag website, they even charge you for two people to actually turn up and present you with the flag if (when) you win one.

And you WILL win one because after you have, you then pay Purple Flag up to £1,200 a year to keep it! So they are already sort of on your side. In return, you get a literal purple flag and a mention on their website.

One of the oldest scams in the book.

LSC wrote:
I think it is a great scheme. If you read the Purple Flag website, they even charge you for two people to actually turn up and present you with the flag if (when) you win one.

And you WILL win one because after you have, you then pay Purple Flag up to £1,200 a year to keep it! So they are already sort of on your side. In return, you get a literal purple flag and a mention on their website.

One of the oldest scams in the book.

Another Fib Dem Scam, just like the one that said "vote for us and we'll freeze tuition fees" .................. Oh BTW I'm very sorry I made that promise when I had no intention what-so-ever of keeping it.

Mendacious isn't it ? Just like most of the other rubbish they spout.

Reg Edit wrote:
They paid for the flag award, remember?

If a council is prepared to pay for it, I doubt they would not award one. It is therefore pretty meaningless.

Only this morning I was awarded (by myself) the Purple Flag of Merit for eating breakfast. All I have to do now is go out and buy a cheap purple flag and fly it over my house. I might buy myself a medal as well, why not?

Dotty rejoicing in this fraud is so transparent. I couldn't bear to watch the video though as I've just had a large breakfast.

BTW, is Dotty actually wearing the flag? Oops, here comes that breakfast again....

Just to be clear Reg Edit - are you accusing all these towns and cities of fraud (http://www.purplefl
ag.org.uk/projects/i
ndex.php) or just Watford because you've got an issue with the local mayor?

So it's pats on the back all round at the town hall to celebrate the raising of the phoney purple flag.
And apparently purple flag towns benefit from lower crime and anti social behaviour.
Well that's news to me because last time I checked little old Albert road came in at 4th worst in the entire country for cases of recorded crime,a staggering 115 crimes in just one month !.
The inconvienent truth.

antday78 wrote:

Reg Edit wrote:
They paid for the flag award, remember?

If a council is prepared to pay for it, I doubt they would not award one. It is therefore pretty meaningless.

Only this morning I was awarded (by myself) the Purple Flag of Merit for eating breakfast. All I have to do now is go out and buy a cheap purple flag and fly it over my house. I might buy myself a medal as well, why not?

Dotty rejoicing in this fraud is so transparent. I couldn't bear to watch the video though as I've just had a large breakfast.

BTW, is Dotty actually wearing the flag? Oops, here comes that breakfast again....

Just to be clear Reg Edit - are you accusing all these towns and cities of fraud (http://www.purplefl

ag.org.uk/projects/i

ndex.php) or just Watford because you've got an issue with the local mayor?

Fraud? No. They just bought the award like we did.
I mean, Bristol? Have you been to St Pauls? Probably not as you are still able to type.
Liverpool? BELFAST!

They all have Purple Flags.

They list Derry-Londonderry as well. You know why it has two names and has to be listed as such?
Because the place is in a state of virtual civil war and neither side will accept the other's name for it.

Sounds a great safe night out there. I should take the kids.

How many towns apply for a purple flag, pay the fees, but then don't make the grade?

Just saw the prices http://www.purplefla
g.org.uk/advice-and-
support.html


£500 kicks-start workshop. Up to seven modules at £3500 each. Application fee at £2250. All plus VAT.


So it costs up to £32,700 to "win" a purple flag! I've got some Nigerian business partners that are very interested in giving Watford the chance to "win" another award. There'll just be a small up-front fee...

All in all I'm fairly disgusted by this.

I've never been do't most vocal supporter but the entire endeavour just disappoints me.

It appears we've paid for a meaningless award, with taxpayers money.
At the same time policing numbers are being cut, and the town centre have seen less officers in the last couple of weekend nights.

Im also slightly disappointed with the lack of investigative journalism, as more should have been done to investigate the facts which have been uncovered by intrepid members fot he public and posted here.

Shame on the council, and come on W.O buck up.

The purple flag is pretty meaningless rubbish that the council has paid for, £32,000 by all accounts.

The council wants to trick us into thinking the council has done some good town management to enable us to get this award. It hasn't, it just bought it with our money.

It's not an award, it's a trophy from a shop that has been bought with our taxes. Anyone can get one if they've got £32,000 of money and less that £32,000 worth of sense. I believe Beirut had one back in the eighties although I can't be sure as there was a lot going on there at the time, what with the civil war.

If Dotty wants to get value for money it can get a purple flag for about £10 from the UKIP website. It would be better than the £32,000 effort she's currently flying and a darn sight cheaper!

Dotty, you're a fraud. OK, you're not the only town to buy this honour, but you run our town and that means you have defrauded us!

Stop wasting our money and empty the bins, it's what we pay you for, not all this useless liberal claptrap nonsense! Stop patting yourself on the back with our money.

If you asked the Council you'll find out that it didn't cost anywhere near £32,000 - or even £5000 - as the costs that some people are quoting are optional items the council decided not to spend money on. But I guess people also like to believe the worst case scenario.

It also said Purple Flag is about recognising where there are problems in the town centre and how they can work with the police, residents, pubs and clubs to make the town a safer night out.

fugu wrote:
Just saw the prices http://www.purplefla g.org.uk/advice-and- support.html £500 kicks-start workshop. Up to seven modules at £3500 each. Application fee at £2250. All plus VAT. So it costs up to £32,700 to "win" a purple flag! I've got some Nigerian business partners that are very interested in giving Watford the chance to "win" another award. There'll just be a small up-front fee...

It doesn't cost £32,700 to be awarded Purple Flag.

What you're quoting is 'help' that you can get from the Association of Town Centre Managers from their website.

Watford hasn't needed that.

(Of course you might not want Watford to be successful...
to attact more people into the town at evening and night, to see it's complete offer from shows to eating out, to spend money in the town, to keep and create jobs, to change perceptions)

Mike Watford wrote:

fugu wrote:
Just saw the prices http://www.purplefla g.org.uk/advice-and- support.html £500 kicks-start workshop. Up to seven modules at £3500 each. Application fee at £2250. All plus VAT. So it costs up to £32,700 to "win" a purple flag! I've got some Nigerian business partners that are very interested in giving Watford the chance to "win" another award. There'll just be a small up-front fee...

It doesn't cost £32,700 to be awarded Purple Flag.

What you're quoting is 'help' that you can get from the Association of Town Centre Managers from their website.

Watford hasn't needed that.

(Of course you might not want Watford to be successful...
to attact more people into the town at evening and night, to see it's complete offer from shows to eating out, to spend money in the town, to keep and create jobs, to change perceptions)

Mike,

A purple flag has NOTHING to do with Watford being successful. It's available to ANY town that is willing to pay for it.

The town was 'handed' the accolade after the town 'handed' over a lot of cash to the organisation that give out these awards. Its like claiming to have a degree in rocket science when you've responded to one of those junk emails and bought it off the 'net.

CroxleySam wrote:
If you asked the Council you'll find out that it didn't cost anywhere near £32,000 - or even £5000 - as the costs that some people are quoting are optional items the council decided not to spend money on. But I guess people also like to believe the worst case scenario.

It also said Purple Flag is about recognising where there are problems in the town centre and how they can work with the police, residents, pubs and clubs to make the town a safer night out.

I see the Liberal apologists have been released onto the WO again.

The trouble for them is, does anyone still believe them?

Mike Watford wrote:

fugu wrote:
Just saw the prices http://www.purplefla g.org.uk/advice-and- support.html £500 kicks-start workshop. Up to seven modules at £3500 each. Application fee at £2250. All plus VAT. So it costs up to £32,700 to "win" a purple flag! I've got some Nigerian business partners that are very interested in giving Watford the chance to "win" another award. There'll just be a small up-front fee...

It doesn't cost £32,700 to be awarded Purple Flag.

What you're quoting is 'help' that you can get from the Association of Town Centre Managers from their website.

Watford hasn't needed that.

(Of course you might not want Watford to be successful...
to attact more people into the town at evening and night, to see it's complete offer from shows to eating out, to spend money in the town, to keep and create jobs, to change perceptions)

Well said Mike. The town paid just £2,250 to apply for the purple flag scheme, nowhere close to the absurdly exaggerated figures quoted by others in this collection of negative mealy mouthed letters.
If the anonymous cynics took the trouble to come out of hiding behind their computer screens and try Watford's evening offer they would discover top quality theatre and film at the Palace Theatre, excellent shows at the refurbished Colosseum and a great choice of restaurants in addition to the bars and clubs.
Residents like me, who take advantage of the rich choice on offer, find it a far cry from the offensive picture the naysayers choose to paint.
Like you I am very happy to be part of a thriving town which offers such a diverse range of out of hours cultural and leisure attractions.

Would do but can't afford it due to taxes, train fares, mortgage payments, keeping a car on the road, finding money for my children's music lessons that were previously paid for by HCC...
I would feel guilty about taking a pleasurable evening's activity whilst claiming poverty is the reason I can't afford a new blazer for my child.

Now if the council could find a way to reduce my council tax bill even more (though I appreciate that Watford has the lowest etc etc and no rises etc etc), or hadn't sacked a load of people forcing them to take lower paid work elsewhere...

Actually, where do the night-time visitors to the town centre get their money from? I never seem to have two beans to rub together once I've settled my bills. Maybe I need money management lessons?

We are merely quoting the sums printed on the Purple Flag website; the Council don't seem to have added what they actually paid to their numerous press releases.
It is also a fact that we have to continue to pay for it in order to keep it.

If you are proud of a town that boasts the 4th highest crime ridden street IN TH COUNTRY and shares an award of quality night life with the likes of Derry/Londonderry where walking into the wrong pub can cost you your kneecaps, you carry on.
I'll stay home and watch telly, thanks.

The Rover wrote:

Mike Watford wrote:

fugu wrote: Just saw the prices http://www.purplefla g.org.uk/advice-and- support.html £500 kicks-start workshop. Up to seven modules at £3500 each. Application fee at £2250. All plus VAT. So it costs up to £32,700 to "win" a purple flag! I've got some Nigerian business partners that are very interested in giving Watford the chance to "win" another award. There'll just be a small up-front fee...

It doesn't cost £32,700 to be awarded Purple Flag. What you're quoting is 'help' that you can get from the Association of Town Centre Managers from their website. Watford hasn't needed that. (Of course you might not want Watford to be successful... to attact more people into the town at evening and night, to see it's complete offer from shows to eating out, to spend money in the town, to keep and create jobs, to change perceptions)

Mike, A purple flag has NOTHING to do with Watford being successful. It's available to ANY town that is willing to pay for it.

You are wrong. It isn't 'available to ANY town that is willing to pay for it'. Some places apply, get assessed and fail. Some have reapplied again and failed again! ...but Watford passed first time.

The whole point of Purple Flag nationally IS about promoting thriving and successful town and city centres.

What year did purple flag start? The website describes it as a 'new scheme'.

TRT wrote:
What year did purple flag start? The website describes it as a 'new scheme'.

March 2009 I believe.
I quote:

"I will go here because it has a purple flag and I can walk down the street without getting bottled'.

"If you do have a street of stand-up drinking establishments you could talk to the operators about how to diversify the drinking, perhaps putting in some seats or having food on offer during part of the evening,"

"There is a great deal of commercial advantage in focusing on older age groups because that is a growing proportion of the population and may be richer in certain ways,"

Source: Telegraph 2008.
Make of the above what you will.

Why do I keep doing the WO's job for them? Send me some money.

Some of those quoting wildly exaggerated figures for the cost of the purple flag obviously have no regard for facts. The figure of £2250 given in an earlier post is correct, but of course telling the truth doesn't suit some people.

clarkie750 wrote:
Some of those quoting wildly exaggerated figures for the cost of the purple flag obviously have no regard for facts. The figure of £2250 given in an earlier post is correct, but of course telling the truth doesn't suit some people.

If you have such regard for facts and the truth, why didn't you add VAT to that figure, even if it was the base amount paid? Or point out we we will carry on paying annually?

Hmmm? Mr Pot, meet Mr Kettle...

£2250 paid to the Purple Flag organisation. £4.5m paid so that they could impress the assessors with their plans for the regeneration of the town's night-life quarter; it's a noted point in the case study. Interesting to note that Southend has one of these flags (does it have a blue flag as well? Probably not - those are international environmental awards which also cost money but are paid on a national basis). Southend is somewhat of a dump, IMHO.

To change the culture, change the environment. The town centre is greatly improved over what it was some years ago. The purple flag is recognition of that and is a tribute to the work of everybody involved in delivering those improvements. Th revamp of the top of the town will speed up the progress being made.