Britain debates virtues of Sunday trading

Press, 23 February 1989, Page 19

Britain debates virtues of Sunday trading

By

TONY VERDON

in London

Like its New Zealand counterpart, the British Government is coming under increasing pressure to loosen the restrictions on Sunday trading. The controversy and legal wrangling over Sunday shopping is just as intense in Britain as it is in New Zealand. The British Government will soon make another attempt to end the controversy, by allowing a compromise of half-day opening.

However it is expected to test public opinion on the issue carefully before committing itself to changes in the law. A report by a Home Office Minister is understood to have recommended that, while there is still no consensus on reform in Britain, the move likely to gain widest support would be to allow shops to open in the afternoon.

As in New Zealand, those campaigning for more liberal Sunday shopping hours claim present legislation is riddled with anomalies.

Among those pressing hardest for change are the increasing number of “do-it-yourself” handyman stores, some of which already have permission to open all day on Sundays in Britain. Just as the Distribution

Workers’ Federation, representing shop assistants in New Zealand has opposed widespread changes to Sunday trading hours, in Britain the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, has fought major liberalisation of Sunday trading. Political commentators in Britain say there is still great reluctance in the British Government to embark on another attempt to reform the 40-year-old Shops Act, despite the acknowledgement among Ministers that the present law contains many anomalies. The British Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher, has already been embarrassed by a previous attempt to allow shops to open all day on Sundays. In April 1986 rebel Conservative M.P.s helped to inflict what was described as “a humiliating defeat” on the Government by defying a three-line whip to vote down the Shops Bill.

However the Conservative Party manifesto at last year’s general election in Britain promised that the Government would seek to bring “sense and consistency” to Sunday shopping. For the past six months a Minister of State at the Home Office, Mr Timothy Renton, has been in charge of attempts to seek a compromise.

Mr Renton is said to regard reform of Sunday trading as “important unfinished business.” One option being discussed is to allow shops to choose whether to open on Sunday mornings or afternoons.

Afternoon opening would interfere less with church-going and could also limit opposition from church groups, which are said to have played a key role in defeating the last Shops Bill.

But such a solution would still leave a muddle over Sunday mornings. The Home Office is apparently ready to suggest that smaller shops, possibly defined on the basis of floor-space, would be allowed to open. The idea of half-day opening on Sundays has been condemned by the general secretary of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, Mr Garfield Davies. “It will create more anomalies. I can’t see all those shops already breaking the law by selling on Sunday suddenly starting to adhere to a new rule of just selling in the afternoons,” he says.

The Consumers Association in Britain wants the Sunday trading hours liberalised. “For a long time we argued for total de-regula-tion, but then we realised

that this was just not acceptable to some people,” says a spokesman.

“The only answer has to be a compromise. Halfday trading is probably a good idea.”

Although some major chain stores such as Marks and Spencers have argued against liberalising Sunday trading, they have taken advantage of Scottish law which allows shops there to open throughout the day on Sunday. Marks and Spencers stores in Scotland were open on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas in Scotland.

Commentators say that if the law changed to allow Sunday trading in England, it was likely the company would bow to retail pressure, and also open on Sundays in England. The New Zealand Parliament is expected to vote on the Sunday trading issue later this year. But following the Thatcher Government’s earlier embarrassment over the issue, political commentators in London say there will have to be strong support for a change before it tries again. Even so, they predict legislation is likely to be introduced within the next 12 months.