The Church of England has rejected proposals to further extend trading hours for large retail outlets on Sundays.
In a response to a Department of Trade and Industry consultation on the topic, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Tom Butler, pledges that the Church would 'resist any further attempts to erode what still exists in legislation to safeguard the special nature of Sunday.'
Highlighting a range of research pointing to the adverse impact on family life that the 1994 Sunday Trading Act has had, the submission expresses particular concern for the possible consequences of even longer store opening hours on shop workers and those in retail support roles, such as cleaners, drivers, and warehouse staff.
The document also questions whether major retailers actually want to extend opening hours, pointing to research revealing little enthusiasm amongst retailers for unrestricted opening hours, and a belief that volumes of trade arising from any additional trading hours may not compensate for the increased costs in doing so.
In the submission's conclusion, the Bishop comments: 'The costs to work-life balance, family life and stability, health of employees and the contribution of small retailers to community cohesion outweigh any potential benefits of further deregulation.'
'We would want to emphasise the significance of a day in which people can attend to their spiritual life and the importance of Sunday allowing time for people to attend Christian worship,' he adds.
Full text of the submission:
The Church of England Mission and Public Affairs Council's response to the invitation of Gerry Sutcliffe, Minister for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs at the DTI to comment on proposals to extend Sunday trading hours.
The Mission & Public Affairs Council of the Church of England is the body responsible for overseeing research and comment on social and political issues on behalf of the Church. The Council comprises a representative group of bishops, clergy and lay people with interest and expertise in the relevant areas, and reports to the General Synod through the Archbishops' Council.
Sunday Trading
1.The Council is pleased to offer views on the possible social impact of a liberalisation of Sunday trading hours. We welcome the Department's decision to widen the cost-benefit assessment to include the social implications of any change and would encourage the Department to undertake a wider social audit to complement the cost-benefit analysis.
2.As a matter of principle the Church of England has consistently expressed the view that society needs a distinct day for renewal, rest, recreation and for nurturing family life. Such a day, which traditionally has been provided by the Christian Sunday, contributes to the good of all, whether people are of a particular religious tradition or not.
3.In earlier debates about Sunday trading the Church has argued for the principle that any reform of the law ought to preserve in a distinct and public way the special character of this day. It has thus supported a substantial limitation of commercial activity on Sunday both in terms of type of shop permitted to open and hours of opening.
4.The 1994 Sunday Trading Act attempted to provide a compromise between competing needs of retailers wishing to trade, consumers wishing to shop and those wishing to retain the special character of Sunday as a day of rest and reflection. Twelve years on it is possible to assess the impact of that de-regulation.
5.Undoubtedly part of it has been negative. Working at weekends appears to be having an adverse effect on family life, particularly on disadvantaged families where parents often work shifts in order to provide childcare and so do not see each other. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in 2002 found that 78% of mothers would rather not work on Sundays not least because the effect of Sunday working was to reduce (if not eliminate) the time that families could spend together to avoid childcare costs (1).
6.It is significant that some unions oppose any extension of Sunday trading hours, again because of the effect on family life. USDAW's survey in 2006 of five hundred shopworkers found that 92% of shopworkers opposed any relaxation of the current limitation on large stores opening for more than six hours on a Sunday (2). 56% of their members wanted to work less on Sunday as this was the one day that they could be at home with their families.
7.A survey of shoppers USDAW also found that 64% did not want any more hours to shop on Sunday. A clear majority understood the negative impact on shop workers and local communities. This correlates with an NOP poll conducted on behalf of Keep Sunday Special in 2005 (3) in which 75% of those interviewed would rather have reinstatement of a regular day off to spend with family and friends than to have shopping hours further extended.
8.To extend opening hours would increase pressure on those employed by retail firms to work longer hours. This would also adversely impact ancillary workers such as cleaners, drivers, warehousemen, public transport staff.
9.The Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group, which advises the Church's institutions on its investments, will be providing its own evidence directly to the DTI following a survey of major retailers. In summary it revealed little enthusiasm for unrestricted opening and a belief that volumes of trade arising from any additional trading hours may not compensate for the increased costs in doing so.
10.There have also been environmental repercussions to the Sunday opening of large shops. Increased traffic congestion, refuse and general wear and tear are evident around the large out of town shopping centres on Sundays. Smaller independent retailers and those in city centres have seen a decline in trade as people have shopped in out of town retail outlets, particularly on Sundays. Closure of such shops has serious implications in terms of accessibility and costs for those who are less well off.
A poll conducted by the BRMB for the Association of Convenience Stores in early 2006 found that 68% of consumers did not want a change in opening hours (4).
11.This response lays stress on the importance of a distinctive day when people can give time to each other and their families, which is good for all in society. We would also want to emphasise the significance of a day in which people can attend to their spiritual life and the importance of Sunday allowing time for people to attend Christian worship. Over 70% of the population identified themselves as being Christian in the 2001 census (around 7% declared themselves as being of other faiths and over 20% either declined to answer or said they were of no religion) (5). A recent survey discovered that last year over 86% of the population said that they had been in a church at some time during the year (6).
12.In summary, representatives of the Church of England expressed considerable doubts over many years during the debates which led up to the liberalisation of Sunday trading legislation in the 1990s. In terms of the impact on family life those doubts have proved well founded. We would resist any further attempts to erode what still exists in legislation to safeguard the special nature of Sunday. The costs to work-life balance, family life and stability, health of employees and the contribution of small retailers to community cohesion outweigh any potential benefits of further deregulation. Such extension is also unnecessary given the many opportunities that now exist for late night, 24 hour (and indeed internet) shopping that give much greater flexibility for consumers to meet their needs.
13.The Minister's letter offered the opportunity for a meeting with you to take these issues further. We would like to take up that offer after Easter and our staff will be in touch with the Minister's office to see what arrangements can be made.
The Rt Rev Tom Butler
Bishop of Southwark
Vice-Chair: Public Affairs
Mission and Public Affairs Council
1.'Happy families? Atypical work and its influence on family life' Ivana La Valle et al, (National Centre for Social Research, Policy Press for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Oct 2002) as quoted by Keep Time for Children.
2.Cited in http://www.usdaw.org.uk/politics/news/1137674400_18994.html 19 Jan 2006
3.http://www.keepsundayspecial.org.uk/research/index.php?id=31
4.Cited in http://www.thelocalshop.com/default.asp Call=Article&Search=sunday+trading&ID=4392 25 Jan 2006
5.http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=954
6.http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/thechurchofenglandtoday/