Rising inflation and cost pressures have been blamed for the cancellations
Major cities across the UK have been forced to cancel their Bonfire Night celebrations due to cost-cutting exercises.
Councils are having to tighten their belts due to rising inflation, energy and fuel costs putting “unprecedented pressure” on budgets.
The exceptionally difficult situation is being made worse by rising interest rates, demand in children’s social care and uncertainty over future Government funding.
Last month council leaders called on the Government to provide urgent and immediate help with the “unprecedented and unavoidable pressures”.
They have warned of the need to make “some difficult choices” as they could not keep using up reserves.
One of the first casualties looks to be the annual Guy Fawkes Night gatherings, which will now not take place in many cities.
Last week, Manchester City Council said a mix of factors including rising costs and safety risks meant they wouldn’t be putting on big fireworks displays.
Nottingham City Council also announced they’d ‘reluctantly’ decided they couldn’t afford it anymore due to rising costs and stretched budgets.
Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Norwich and Dundee are all also not putting on events for Bonfire Night.
London’s Hackney Council also said they were calling off their fireworks display thanks to a mixture of ‘rising inflation and cost pressures’.
For some cities the last time they put on a Bonfire Night event was back in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic.
While they attract crowds of up to tens of thousands, they’re expensive events to put on and there are a whole host of safety concerns involved with getting everyone to stand around a fire while setting off a bunch of explosives.
Who knows when they will next – if ever – return?
The cities that have cancelled Bonfire Night
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Liverpool
- Leeds
- Cardiff
- Glasgow
- Norwich
- Dundee
- Hackney (London)
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