Government publishes insubstantial response to Sunday trading consultation

Five months after the deadline for submissions, ministers have published the results of a consultation on plans to extend Sunday trading hours.

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Five months after the deadline for submissions, ministers have published the results of a consultation on plans to extend Sunday trading hours.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said it had received "just over" 7,000 responses to the consultation from a "wide range of stakeholders".

Christian Concern was one of several groups that asked the public to submit their views to the consultation, highlighting the many ways in which relaxing Sunday trading protections would negatively impact society.

The long-awaited response has been criticised for its lack of transparency, as it focuses on supportive responses from those who would benefit economically or politically from longer opening hours. Meanwhile, it downplays the many responses that expressed opposition to the plans.

Although the government admitted that a "significant number" of individuals raised concerns about the effects of removing Sunday protections, the actual number is not provided in the response.

In addition, the document highlighted that many of those objecting to the plans did not comment "specifically on devolution" – in this way brushing aside many pertinent objections.

The proposals have been tacked on to the Enterprise Bill at the last moment, in what Andrea Williams of Christian Concern has described as an attempt by the government to "slip in a loosening of Sunday protections by the back door".

Misleading representation

The government's response shows the total number of respondents, but gives little in the way of further breakdown of the results.

Among the stakeholders who answered the consultation were local authorities, large and medium-sized business respondents and business representative organisations. The response says that, of this subset, the "majority" are in favour of the plans.

It is not revealed what percentage of the total respondents these groups represent.

This suggests that, although the majority of medium-to-large businesses (including high-end stores such as Harrods and Selfridges) support the proposals, the majority of all respondents may have expressed quite different views.

With regard to supermarkets and smaller businesses, which have previously said there would be little to gain from longer opening hours, the response states only that "some supermarkets felt that there weren’t any real business benefits for them in extending Sunday trading hours for them. Some small business organisations raised the issue of increased competition from shops which might be able to open for longer under these proposals."

Once again, the government fails to specify the number of small businesses who responded.

In response to the publication, shop-workers trade union USDAW said the government had "not only failed to listen to the retail industry, but has gone out of their way to ignore the views, research and evidence of everyone".

Number of responses by organised campaigns

The response reports that a "large number" of individuals expressed opposition to the plans. It continues:

"Many responses reflected principled opposition to the extension of Sunday trading hours, and some specifically mentioned religious observance. A number of responses were prompted by organised campaigns. For example, we received six petitions."

In an effort to allay concerns, the government response says that, under the plans, the notice required of shop workers wishing to "opt out" of working on Sundays would be reduced to a month’s notice in large stores, down from the current three months.

Andrea Williams has said that this is a "paltry concession", which will not prevent employers from pressuring staff to work on Sundays or only hiring those who would be willing to do so.

'Lack of transparency'

Andrea Williams went on to say that the government has wilfully ignored the views and needs of many, while intentionally highlighting the responses that were in agreement with its determination to relax Sunday trading protections.

"This deliberate lack of transparency is designed to make it seem as if the government is acting according to the majority's wishes. Yet, on closer reading, it is evident that this is not the case.

"The government claims that it wishes 'local communities' to decide what is best, yet it ignores the many concerns about the impact longer opening hours will have on family life. Weakening the family unit further by removing our day of shared rest will only serve to destabilise community life, not enhance it.

"Many Christian Concern supporters responded with very real concerns, and we thank them for their support. Yet these responses, along with the views of several other groups, have been ignored."

A YouGov poll, which was published this month on views about Sunday trading, showed that 48% of those surveyed agree that longer opening hours would be detrimental to family life.

Christian MP David Burrowes, who has spoken many times against the measures, said:

"The Government should still listen to the significant opposition to this unnecessary and unwanted plan.

"Otherwise I look forward to leading an unholy cross-party alliance in defeating a measure which is anti-family, anti-small business and anti-workers."