Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Bonfire Societies and their organised events on the economy in Sussex.

While DCMS recognises the value of the Bonfire Societies and their organised events to their community, no formal assessment has been made on their potential impact on the economy in Sussex. However, DCMS acknowledges that such events act as drivers of regional tourism, drawing visitors from across the country outside the peak summer season.

We would encourage the Sussex Bonfire community to engage with our work on living heritage. As part of the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Government is working with the Devolved Governments to create an inventory of Living Heritage (or Intangible Cultural Heritage) in the UK. We would welcome a submission from Bonfire communities to the inventories via the website: https://livingheritage.unesco.org.uk/