The Cameron government has given powers to the local councils to decide on allowing the shops to remain open for more time on Sundays. A host of measures to shake-up shop opening hours will be put forward as amendments to the Enterprise Bill, Sajid Javid, the business secretary, said. It comes less than three months after Cameron was forced to scrap a vote on plans to relax trading laws after they sparked a revolt by 20 Conservative MPs.
However, despite opposition to the proposals from MPs and some retailers, Javid has pushed ahead by unveiling measures to allow councils to introduce zones where shops can trade for longer. Presently, large shops are limited to six hours of trading between 10 am and 6 pm, while small shops are unrestricted.
The proposals to devolve trading rules have split retailers, with Bryan Johnston, a spokesman for the British Retail Consortium, warning the changes would lead to a “fragmentation” of the shopping landscape as councils introduce different zones, which could confuse consumers.
