Simon Danczuk welcomes Government u-turn over Sunday trading

Simon Danczuk MP

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk has welcomed the Government U-turn over Sunday trading rules, saying the argument for longer opening hours is “past its sell-by-date”.

Mr Danczuk said George Osborne’s plans to extend Sunday opening would have been bad news for “supermarket staff, customers and small shopkeepers alike”.

The proposal, the Government’s third attempt to push through longer weekend opening hours since 2010, was dropped when it became clear that the Scottish National Party would not support them.

Mr Danczuk said: “Now he has been forced to shelve his plans to extend Sunday trading, George Osborne needs to realise that the economic argument for longer opening hours is well past its sell-by-date.

“Simply opening for longer on a Sunday does not magically create more customers or greater demand. It spreads shopping across seven days rather than six and a half and diverts customers from community based convenience shops to the soulless out-of-town mega-markets.

“We have the Scottish National Party to thank for spoiling Mr Osborne’s weekend plans.”

Mr Danczuk, the chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Small Shops, said extra Sunday hours would be disastrous for convenience store owners.

The MP said: “December 5 is Small Business Saturday, a day to celebrate and promote the small shops and family firms which are a vital part of the local economy.

“There are so many fantastic small shops in Rochdale and I know many business owners who are breathing a sigh of relief now this policy has been scrapped.

“Small shop owners would have had to open longer on Sundays in a desperate bid to compete, another headache for business owners who are among the hardest working people in any community.

“With a mandatory living wage coming in and meaningful business rate reform still a long way off, the Chancellor’s u-turn is a rare bit of good news for shopkeepers in our town.”