The petition of residents of the UK,
Declares that devolving the power to set Sunday trading hours to local councils will lead to longer Sunday opening hours; further that large stores should not be open longer on Sundays; further that longer opening hours would change the nature of Sundays forever; further that millions more people would be required to work on Sundays; and further that a local petition on this matter has been signed by over 300 individuals.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons opposes Government proposals to devolve the power to set Sunday trading hours to local councils and introduce longer Sunday opening hours.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Frank Field,Official Report,9 March 2016; Vol.607, c. 1P.]
[P001679]
Observations from the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise (Anna Soubry):
The Government wanted to give communities the power to decide for themselves whether extending Sunday opening hours was right for them. This is a huge economic opportunity, and we wanted to see the benefits of economic growth being felt in every corner of the country. It would have created thousands of jobs and given people flexibility—as the impact assessment set out, it would have been worth an estimated £1.5 billion to the economy (over ten years).
It is disappointing that the House voted to prevent this from happening, and we have no plans to reintroduce the proposals at this stage. The Government do, however, remain committed to helping local areas and high-streets compete effectively.