Written By Jack J Collins, Editor, AllAboutLaw.co.uk

Sunday trading laws outdated?

Written By Jack J Collins, Editor, AllAboutLaw.co.uk

A group of 200 MPs and council leaders has submitted a letter to the Sunday Telegraph stating that the rules about Sunday opening hours for shops in England and Wales need to be updated.

The coalition, led my former Tory chairman Grant Shapps, has claimed that increasing spending on Sundays would improve job prospects up and down the country, and would also help to keep the physical retail market competitive with the online market.

The current law states that shops bigger than 3,000 square feet can only open for six consecutive hours on a Sunday, between the hours of 10am and 6pm. If they fail to adhere to this, retailers can be fined up to £50,000.

The group stated that since the laws were last updated in 1994, the world has changed considerably, and "yet whilst times and attitudes have changed, Sunday Trading laws have stayed the same.

“Our high streets and physical retailers have been left trying to compete with 24/7 online shopping, a task which is made harder by a shortened trading day at the weekend, just when many families might hope to go shopping together."

They back the government’s plan to devolve opening hours on a Sunday to local councils, who will be able to set their own rules – something promised by Chancellor George Osborne last year.

This was corroborated by Business Secretary Sajid Javid earlier in February, when he promised that the proposal was being put through, and that it would allow local government to give a boost to “struggling high streets”.

And yet, the move faces strong opposition both in and out of the Commons. The shopworker’s Union said that the majority of its members were opposed to the idea of extending Sunday working hours, whilst retail union Usdaw says that the current laws give everyone a bit of what they want.

John Hannent, general secretary of Usdaw, summed up the sentiment within the union by stating that currently, "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."

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