The retail sector has condemned the decision by MPs to reject government proposals to relax rules around Sunday trading in England and Wales.
In a rare House of Commons defeat last night, MPs voted 317-286 to reject the government’s plans to give local authorities the power to decide if larger stores can stay open for more than six hours on Sundays.
The New West End company, which represents more than 600 retailers in London, said the result was “very disappointing” and called for the proposals to be reconsidered in parliament.
Chief executive Jace Tyrrell said: “This was an opportunity to re-energise our high streets and, as our independent polling showed, was supported by retailers and workers alike.
“The economic evidence in favour of extended hours is clear: £260m every year and the equivalent of 2,000 new, full-time, jobs would be created in the West End and Knightsbridge alone with just two extra hours every Sunday.”
The British Council of Shopping Centres said the vote was “farcical” and said the rules needed to be changed to allow shops to compete with online retailers.
Chief executive John Coyne said: “The current rules were set more than two decades ago when the way we shopped was very different. Reform is essential if retailers are to meet consumer demand – with our own footfall data showing that the number of shoppers continues to increase outside of office hours.
“Local councils are best placed to make decisions on local trading hours, to help strengthen local economies and enable the retail sector to create more local jobs.”
However, the Federation of Small Businesses welcomed the vote, saying it was a “major win for small businesses”.
Policy director Mike Cherry said: “The current system can be seen as a great British compromise which allows families to spend time together, employees to work if they wish to, and provides much needed support for smaller retailers within their communities.”
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