The Night-Time Economy Accelerator for Councils just kicked off with a bootcamp in Sydney, with 30 councils from Metropolitan and Regional NSW participating.
Thirty councils from across New South Wales have been accepted into the inaugural Night‑Time Economy Accelerator for Councils, a capacity‑building program delivered over 14 weeks to help local governments develop their night‑time economies.
Delivered by the NSW Government’s Office of the 24‑Hour Economy Commissioner, the Accelerator is structured to give council officers the skills and insights needed to tailor their night-time economy initiatives to their areas.
The Accelerator commenced with a 1.5‑day in‑person bootcamp in Sydney on 22 and 23 April, followed by online expert-led masterclasses and coaching sessions.
Accelerator participants include councils at every stage of their night‑time economy journey, from those just beginning to explore after‑dark activation, to others with established late-night precincts.
Photo from the NTE Accelerator for Councils Bootcamp in Sydney. Credit: 24-Hour Economy NSW.
“As a pilot, we were unsure what the appetite would be and have been blown away by the strong interest from council officers to be part of this exciting initiative,” said 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, Michael Rodrigues.
“In particular, the take-up from regional councils has been fantastic to see, with almost two-thirds of participants coming from outside Greater Sydney. To me, this reinforces the need for council officers to connect as a community of practice to share their common challenges and experiences in driving local night-time economies.”
Places within the Accelerator were available for up to 2 officers per council and were limited to the first 30 councils. Eighteen councils from Regional NSW were accepted into the Accelerator.
Participating councils
The following NSW councils are participating in the NTE Accelerator for Councils:
- Albury City Council
- Ballina Shire Council
- Blacktown City Council
- Burwood Council
- Byron Shire Council
- Camden Council
- Central Coast Council
- Cumberland Council
- Dubbo Regional Council
- Eurobodalla Shire Council
- Glen Innes Severn Council
- Lake Macquarie City Council
- Lismore City Council
- Liverpool City Council
- Maitland City Council
- Narrabri Shire Council
- Newcastle City Council
- Northern Beaches Council
- Parkes Shire Council
- Penrith City Council
- Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council
- Tamworth Regional Council
- Tweed Shire Council
- Council of the City of Sydney
- The Council of the Municipality of Kiama
- The Council of the Shire of Hornsby
- The Hills Shire Council
- Wagga Wagga City Council
- Waverley Council
- Wollondilly Shire Council.
“We're really excited to get [the night-time economy] into our master plan and our Development Control Plan, and to use what we've got available to make our CBD and our precincts more vibrant and bring more economic viability into the area,” said Sue Hanrahan, Economic Development Officer at Wagga Wagga Council, about the NTE Accelerator.
Photo from the NTE Accelerator for Councils Bootcamp in Sydney. Credit: 24-Hour Economy NSW.
Practical outcomes for councils
By the end of the Accelerator, participating officers are expected to emerge as night‑time economy champions within their organisations.
The program supports council officers to:
- champion the value of their night-time economy within their council and the wider community
- gain insights from the Data After Dark platform to better understand and support the data behind their local night-time economy
- measure, track and evaluate their local night-time economy over time
- develop, refresh and implement a Night-Time Economy Strategy, or embed the night-time economy as a priority within an Economic Development Plan or Visitor Economy Strategy
- understand relevant NSW Government initiatives and programs that support after-dark vibrancy, and identify which options are most suitable for their Local Government Area (e.g. Uptown Program, Community Improvement Districts, Special Entertainment Precincts or Purple Flag).
Teresa Lever, Manager Economic Development & Place Activation at Eurobodalla Shire Council, spoke about what she's excited for in the year ahead for Eurobodalla:
"I think after 3 years of talking about the night-time and 24-hour economy, people are starting to get it. I'm really excited that I have a business community that's kind of ready to work together, that has a great relationship with council, and now I have council staff on board from a whole variety of functional areas that are willing to get involved in strategy development and policy reform."