The leader of Staffordshire County Council wants to see larger shops in the county able to open for longer on Sundays.
Philip Atkins, left, who signed a joint letter from MPs and council leaders to the Sunday Telegraph on the issue, is calling for a change in the law to allow local councils to make decisions on Sunday trading. He says extending opening would boost employment and the wider economy.
In England and Wales, shops over 280 square metres (3,000 sq ft) – mainly supermarkets and big out-of-town units – can trade for only six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm. Stores with total display and service space of less than 280 square metres can open when they like.
The letter supports a report by the cross-party British Infrastructure Group of MPs (BIG) which states that updated trading laws could provide economic benefits worth £1.4 billion a year to the UK economy.
[box type=”shadow” ]Philip said: “We are encouraged that the Government is increasing devolution in a range of areas and Sunday trading laws are another example of an issue which should be handled locally. Shops trading in our towns benefit the communities closest to them, both in terms of the services they provide and by employing local people.
“We feel therefore that decisions on how long they can open should be made here in Staffordshire. Changes in trading law can boost local economies and job creation which are priorities to the county council and our borough and district colleagues.”[/box]
The letter adds that high streets now have to compete with 24/7 online shopping and that a comparison of European countries where trading laws had been relaxed or removed found that the changes resulted in a seven to nine per cent net increase in employment.
Click HERE to see some of the quirks of Sunday opening.
[box type=”info” ]Business Secretary Sajid Javid is pressing ahead with plans to give local councils the power to set Sunday trading laws in their areas, but there is strong opposition in the House of Commons.
Retail union, Usdaw says the current trading hours give “everyone a little bit of what they want”. General Secretary John Hannett said: “Retailers can trade, customers can shop, staff can work, whilst Sunday remains a special day, different to other days, and shop workers can spend some time with their family.”
The union also points to the gradual erosion of double or time-and-a-half pay for Sunday workers.[/box]
