Belfast City Council are looking at a proposal to extend Sunday trading hours in Belfast. The idea is to run a pilot scheme for around 6 weeks which would relax opening time hours to give businesses in the city more time to trade on a Sunday.
At a meeting the Council agreed by 18 to 1 to look into a report drafted up by Alliance councillor Sam Nelson with details on the proposal of extending opening hours. But the proposal is not going to garner full support from all sides, with some critics believing that it would be a backward step and that many shop workers would be against this proposal.
Don’t Believe There Is Any Need For This
One critic is Green councillor Áine Groogan, who is quoted in an article in the Belfast Telegraph as saying:
“I don’t believe there is any need for this,” she said. “I understand the issues around our city centre, and the need for more animation, particularly around the weekend and for families.
“That is not going to be achieved by allowing large multinational retailers to open longer on a Sunday.
“It needs to be pointed out that the majority of shops in our city centre are allowed to open on Sundays, but they choose not to.
“The idea that we somehow need to continually have more time for buying more things, that rampant consumerism is somehow going to lift our city centre, is based on an outdated economic theory that has been proved wrong.”
Ms Groogan added that a study “showed 92% of Belfast workers opposed extension of Sunday trading hours”.
Protection Of Workers Rights Must Remain At Centre Of Considerations
But councillor Sam Nelson dismissed the notion that the proposal was in any way anti-worker, but that the protection of workers rights “must remain at the centre of considerations around any amendment to trading hours legislation”.
“That’s why we have proposed this as a pilot scheme, so we can assess both the impact and the benefits, and we can make future decisions around Sunday trading hours based on evidence,” added the Alliance councillor.
“It would be our preference that any pilot scheme would take place in the run up to Christmas, however this is not possible within existing legislation.
“I’m glad the committee has also agreed to write to the Minister about reviewing such legislation with a view to making it more flexible.
“This is about guaranteeing freedom and choice for businesses and residents alike, whilst also increasing footfall to our city centre.”
Whether this will be a success and then rolled out into other areas of Northern Ireland remains to be seen.
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