Islington Council launches consultation on how to make the borough a safer place for everyone

As part of their commitment to create a safe place for everyone, Islington Council has joined forces with the Safer Islington Partnership and Islington Police to consult with residents and anyone who works, studies, or socialises in Islington. Everyone is encouraged to use an interactive online map to mark places where they feel unsafe, explain why and suggest what more could be done to help them feel safer. 

Every home in the borough will also receive a leaflet through their door containing a map of their local area. Residents can provide anonymous feedback about places that need work to make them safer, by marking them on the map and returning the leaflet in the Freepost envelope – or filling in the survey online.

The council and its partners will use the feedback to identify locations of concern so that practical improvements can be made, helping to improve safety right across the borough.

Cllr Sue Lukes, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Community Safety, said: “We want to make Islington a place where everyone can feel safe and comfortable, whether they are walking, running, cycling or sitting, at all times, day and night.

“But some places don’t feel safe, for all sorts of reasons. We want to change that, which is why we are undertaking this huge consultation to ask the people who know their neighbourhood better than anyone where the problem areas are.

“We know that feelings of safety can be influenced by many things – including someone’s age, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, faith and sexual orientation.

“No-one is safe until we are all safe. So we need all our Islington communities to work on that together, and make a start by identifying the problems. I am sure we can all spare a couple of minutes to help us shape a better borough for everyone. And if you live in Islington, look out for the leaflet coming through your letterbox soon.”

To take part in the consultation and for more information on the Safer Spaces project, see https://www.islington.gov.uk/community-safety/have-your-say-on-safer-spaces

Notes to editor

Islington’s Safer Spaces consultation is the first in the country to use Commonplace’s new online Community Heatmap, enabling a collaborative conversation with the community.