Safe and resilient neighbourhood

We deliver a programme to help your business respond to new challenges, to build resilience, navigate change and plan for the future. Sessions include cyber security sessions, business continuity training, ACT Awareness, and Mental Health First Aid training. Check our events listings to see what’s on offer.

Our services which support your business to operate through disturbances include:

Cleaning Team can help to clear and clean the area surrounding your business to help you recover as quickly as possible. They patrol the area daily, but to request their special assistance please ring 020 7928 3998.

Wardens will continue to perform in their usual capacity in the event of a disturbance. This is as an additional resource and liaison point for the police and other emergency services. They can assist in connecting you with the most effective person or service for your need. To report specific problems to them, contact them on 020 7525 5846 and ask for Better Bankside Wardens (or Phillip Mann’s team).

Pubwatch

Pubwatch schemes have been in existence nationally for over 20 years. Their aim is to bring together the licensees within a particular geographical area, such as a town centre, to provide mutual aid and assistance to combat crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. Also to exploit opportunities arising from events and activities taking place in that area.

Better Bankside has been instrumental in setting up and running Pubwatch SE1 which has been in existence since May 2007 and which spans both the Better Bankside and the Team London Bridge BIDs.

Pubwatch SE1 currently has 30 members drawn mainly from the licensed trade. It is run by its members and meets every 2 months with the police and the licensing authority to receive reports on local crime, ASB and other local activities that may affect their trade. The meetings act as a forum at which members can also hear about local events and receive advice and training on things such as dealing with drugs, football hooliganism and the threat from terrorism.

Disaster Planning

We run regular Business Continuity sessions for members delivering an introduction to planning for an emergency. Whether it be a flood, fire or any other issue that might prevent you from accessing your premises, our sessions – led by experienced BC professionals – will provide an understanding of the most common risks and their potential impacts, outline the basics of how to put a business continuity plan together and signpost to resources available to assist you in preparing for an emergency.  

Cyber Security Training

The cyber threat to businesses continues to increase each year, with most ransomware attacks coming through a compromised computer. In order to equip members with the skills to minimise the risk of falling prey to hackers we have partnered with the Police Digital Security Centre to deliver a series of seminars covering the basics of cyber security and identifying simple techniques to make businesses more resilient against a cyber potential attack.

Warn and Inform  

Alongside our neighbouring BID –  Team London Bridge we provide an area-wide warn and inform service, keeping our members up to date with critical information on events and incidents affecting the area. The service also has a secure depository of useful information and templates on business continuity, emergency preparedness and ways to improve the resilience of your business. Linked to this online platform is an App allowing you to receive messages and access the document store on the go. You’ll need to sign up to receive this information, contact our Resilience and Crime Reduction Manager, Susanne Nieuwdorp, sn@betterbankside.co.uk, to register your interest.  

Southwark Community Security Zone

The Southwark Community Security Zone (CSZ) covers the area of northern Southwark between Tower Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge and is recognised by the Police as having significant political, cultural, economic and iconic status. The aim of the CSZ is to provide a safer, secure and more resilient place in which to work, live, visit and do business by developing and promoting the concept of community security. These objectives are delivered jointly through a Security and Resilience Forum administered by Better Bankside and Team London Bridge. The membership of the Forum includes appropriate representatives from organizations (both private and public) in the area, the Police, and Southwark Emergency Planning.

Severe weather support service 

Better Bankside works in partnership with the council and our businesses to enable us to cope as effectively as possible with adverse weather conditions. 
In the eventuality of heavy snow and ice, the cleaning and wardens teams will assist the council to keep the most used footways through the area safe and free from ice and snow. We have placed salt bins in strategic locations throughout the BID and filled these with salt for use by our teams and those businesses who have agreed to help. Better Bankside are linked to the Council’s Winter Service Manager for weather information which will trigger the response from the Council’s street cleaning and highways services and Better Bankside’s teams.   

Anyone able to join and help us keep the footways clear this winter should contact Miguel Ferreira at mf@betterbankside.co.uk. 

To get in touch with us please contact Susanne Nieuwdorp on 020 7928 3998 or sn@betterbankside.co.uk.