Women’s safety in Grimsby Town Centre

The Liberal Democrats in North East Lincolnshire have warned that “general safety” is not enough, and that women and girls’ safety must be designed into every major town centre development, starting with the new Transport Hub.

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Nicola Aisthorpe raised the issue at the council’s Transport, Infrastructure and Strategic Housing Scrutiny meeting, challenging the Portfolio Holder to demonstrate that the authority’s White Ribbon commitment is being delivered through real design decisions, not treated as a box-ticking exercise.

Cllr Aisthorpe said, “Everyone deserves to feel safe in our town centre, but we can’t pretend everyone experiences it in the same way. I regularly hear from women who feel unsafe walking through town, especially in the evenings. Local data backs this - the equivalent of around 10 reports a day were made last year across North East Lincolnshire relating to violence against women and girls, and the council’s own survey shows women feel significantly less safe than men when using the town centre.

If the council designs the Transport Hub around ‘general safety’ and ignores that reality, it will fail residents, and it will fail the town.”

The Transport Hub is expected to play a major role in the regeneration of Grimsby town centre, supporting new developments such as the planned cinema, the youth zone, and surrounding businesses.

Cllr Aisthorpe warned that public confidence will be critical to the success of the scheme.

“This isn’t just about one building. it’s about whether people feel safe using the town centre, especially in the evenings,” she said. “If women don’t feel confident travelling in, staying longer, and spending money in town, then the knock-on impact will be felt across every business. You cannot regenerate a town centre if half the population doesn’t feel safe accessing it.”

She added that residents are right to feel frustrated when progress is too slow, but stressed that the design stage is exactly when safety must be addressed properly.

“Prevention is built in at the planning stage, not bolted on afterwards,” she said.

The Lib Dem councillor also praised local residents and community groups for raising concerns and caring about the issue, but stressed that women’s safety must be backed by a system people can trust.

“People want to help, and that’s a positive thing. We need more people, including more men, to stand up and speak out,” she said. “But women’s safety also needs a joined-up approach that’s properly supported, coordinated and safeguarded. It has to work every day, not rely on goodwill alone.”

Following Scrutiny, the issue will now move to Cabinet as the Transport Hub progresses to the next stage of design and decision-making.

Cllr Aisthorpe added, “I’ll keep pushing for women and girls’ safety to be built into this project properly, and I’ll keep asking the difficult questions until it is. Women’s safety is not optional, and it cannot be treated as an afterthought.”