Sunday Trading & Christmas Day Bill

Sunday Trading

The Board for Social Responsibility has considered the issue of Sunday Trading on several occasions since the early 1960s, most notably in response to the Crathorne and Auld Reports. The General Synod debated the subject in July 1985 and February 1986 in connection with the Shops Bill 1986 which sought to introduce total deregulation as recommended by the Auld Committee of Inquiry. The Shops Bill 1986 was defeated in the House of Commons on its Second Reading despite the imposition of a three-line whip and a Government majority at that time of over a hundred.

The Synod returned to the subject in February 1988, July 1989 and February 1993. This last debate was accompanied by a background paper Sunday Trading (GS1048). The latter gave a full account of the history of parliamentary attempts at reforming the Shops Act 1950. It also considered a wide range of practical concerns and attempted to place them within a wider historical and theological framework.

The following motion was carried unanimously by the General Synod at the February 1993 Group of Sessions:

'That this Synod affirms the importance of Sunday as a day for spiritual renewal, rest and recreation and for the nurturing of family life. It deplores the deliberate flouting of the law governing Sunday trade by powerful commercial interests. Believing that any reform of the law governing trading on Sunday ought to preserve in a distinct and public way the special character of this day, it considers that this can be achieved by:

• substantially limiting the overall level of commercial activity on Sundays through clear and enforceable legislation which controls retailing first according to type of shop and secondly according to hours of opening;
• protecting by statute the existing and future rights of employees in retailing who, in conscience, choose not to work on Sundays;
• ensuring that those who do choose to work on Sundays in the retail sector are properly remunerated.'

The DTI announced its intention to commission an independent economic analysis to carry out a cost-benefit assessment of Sunday Trading hours in November 2005. In addition Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Employment, Relations and Consumer Affairs at the DTI has written to various groups inviting them to submit their views on social issues concerning the case for liberalising Sunday Trading hours.

The Church of England has rejected proposals to further extend trading hours for large retail outlets on Sundays.

In a response to the Department of Trade and Industry consultation on the topic, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Tom Butler, pledged that the Church would 'resist any further attempts to erode what still exists in legislation to safeguard the special nature of Sunday.'

Highlighting a range of research pointing to the adverse impact on family life that the 1994 Sunday Trading Act has had, the submission expressed particular concern for the possible consequences of even longer store opening hours on shop workers and those in retail support roles, such as cleaners, drivers, and warehouse staff.

The document also questioned whether major retailers actually want to extend opening hours pointing to research revealing little enthusiasm amongst retailers for unrestricted opening hours, and a belief that volumes of trade arising from any additional trading hours may not compensate for the increased costs in doing so.

In the submission's conclusion the Bishop commented 'The costs to work-life balance, family life and stability, health of employees and the contribution of small retailers to community cohesion outweigh any potential benefits of further deregulation.'

'We would want to emphasise the significance of a day in which people can attend to their spiritual life and the importance of Sunday allowing time for people to attend Christian worship', he added.

Keep Sunday Special are particularly campaigning around this issue.

Christmas Day Bill

In 2003 the DTI issued a consultation on proposals to prohibit large stores as defined by the Sunday Trading Act 1994, from opening on Christmas Day. Current legislation protects it only when it is on a Sunday. Past years have seen some large stores opening but the major favour staying closed. The Government were minded to secure voluntary self-regulation produced no viable options and that they wish to act now to prevent 'retail creep' which would erode the special nature of Christmas Day. A copy of our response can be read here.

The Christmas Day (Trading) Bill was introduced by Kevan Jones MP as a private member's bill. It has Government support and was passed by the House of Commons in June 2004. The purpose of the bill is to prohibit large shops and supermarkets from opening on 25 December.

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