Thumbs-up for city centre ranger service

Swansea’s city centre rangers have been given an overwhelming thumbs-up from shoppers and visitors.

In a survey carried out on their effectiveness, 81% of people rated the ranger team as either very good or good.

More than 96% of people also agreed that the city centre needs a ranger service. On a scale of one to 10, the rangers scored an average of 9.12 in the survey.

The city centre ranger service, funded by Swansea Council together with a contribution from Swansea BID (Business Improvement District), was re-launched last autumn to help raise their profile as a source of advice and information for city centre visitors and businesses.

City centre ranger tasks include customer service to city centre visitors and the reporting of issues like broken paving, discarded rubbish, vandalism and graffiti. They also help manage street trading and other on-street activities and events on the ground. The rangers deal with about 34,000 incidents a year, including anti-social behaviour which they work closely alongside South Wales Police to combat.

Lisa Wells, Swansea City Centre Manager, said: “The survey results show how much the city centre ranger service is needed and what a great job the team does.

“The ranger service is key to our aim to keep on improving the Swansea city centre experience for both residents and visitors.

“Major regeneration plans for areas like the St David’s development site mean the city centre has a lot to look forward to. The city centre ranger service will continue to be at its heart as we focus on attracting more footfall to benefit our fantastic traders.”

Russell Greenslade, Chief Executive of Swansea BID, said: “City centre businesses have worked for some time with Swansea Council to fund the city centre ranger service. Following our successful renewal ballot, we’ll be continuing to help fund the ranger service because it helps improve the city centre visitor experience and the trading environment for businesses. We look forward to working with the council to further develop the ranger service during the exciting times that lie ahead for the city centre.”

Recent figures independently compiled show March sales in Swansea city centre were up 0.5% on the same month last year, bucking the national trend, where sales were down 0.7%.

February’s sales in the city centre were also up 1.4% on the same month last year, beating the UK-wide figure by 1.3%.

An Italian Market was among the recent events to be held on Oxford Street. Many more activities and events will be taking place in the city centre this summer.