Tory councils back shift in Sunday trading

The Government is said to be nervous about Business Secretary Sajid Javid’s Enterprise Bill, receiving majority backing, after at least 23 Tory rebels and the SNP have said they will vote against it.

Plans include longer opening hours on Sunday and giving local authorities the flexibility to change hours specifically for their area.

The letter from 102 Conservative local authority leaders or group leaders has been signed by Councillor Stephen Baines, Conservative group leader of Calderdale Council, Councillor Derek Bastiman, leader of Scarborough Borough Council and Councillor Richard Foster, leader of Craven District Council.

It said: “As leaders of our local communities we want the Government to put its trust into councils. We are best placed to make decisions about Sunday trading.”

Former retail manager and Conservative MP for Morley and Outwood, Andrea Jenkyns, said a seismic shift in Sunday trading rules has already been achieved and the latest reforms are merely a way of dealing with a more digitally focused 24/7 world.

After starting in Greggs bakery aged 16, and then moving into retail she remembers her store opting in to initial Sunday opening hour changes introduced by John Major in 1994.

She said while she respected the long-standing views of the church, she is shocked wider discussion on longer hours is still going on and that people remain adamant that ‘Sunday is special’.

She said: “What I’m passionate about is that our high street is dwindling, and we need to do what we can to support it. The world has changed. Look at the shopping we do online. We can’t press pause - the world is moving on.”