Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on levels of community engagement.

A national programme of events and celebration is planned around the momentous occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. While London provides the backdrop to celebrations including the Trooping of the Colour, the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Platinum Party at the Palace, and the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, community activity is planned right across the United Kingdom. Events include street parties, the lighting of beacons and pageants, with communities coming together to enjoy a weekend of celebrations.

My department are working closely with colleagues in DCMS to map community engagement and activity across the United Kingdom. To date there are over 200,000 local celebration events planned, including 70,000 big Jubilee lunches organised by local communities, with 4,000 events promoted on the Platinum Jubilee event map https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/events/. We continue to communicate with local councils to encourage their continued involvement and support of the upcoming celebrations.