Rochdale’s Sunday shopping – should Scotland have a say?

Mark Foxley - Rochdale Town Centre Management

Rochdale Town Centre Management says that Scotland should not have a say on England’s Sunday shopping hours, following news that the SNP’s opposing vote could have a knock-on effect on English towns.

MPs will vote later today (Wednesday 9 March) on passing the control over to local councils for trading hours, which could result in shops opening for six more hours on Sundays.

However, the BBC reported that the SNP’s vote against it could result in an overall defeat nationwide.

Mark Foxley, of Rochdale Town Centre Management, said that Rochdale’s Sunday shopping is alive and kicking, and hopes that Scotland’s vote doesn’t have a negative effect.

He said: "The proposed changes to the Sunday trading laws are part of the upcoming Enterprise Bill and are designed to encourage people to visit high street stores more by allowing shops to stay open longer. The decision to extend Sunday hours or not will be made locally.

“Some Scottish workers are paid extra for working on Sundays and there's no guarantees their ‘premium pay’ rates, would be protected if hours were extended in other parts of the UK.

“Our view is that Scotland should not have a say on England’s Sunday shopping hours for selfish reasons."

Most stores in the Rochdale Exchange and the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre currently remain open on Sundays, as do various other town centre shops.

Rochdale Town Centre Management has provided a list of those with open doors on Sundays:

EE
Car Phone Warehouse
Costa Coffee
Officers Club
DCM
Clarks
Beales
Redd
Claires Accessories
Body Care
W H Smith
Superdrug
Poundland
Rochdale Mobility
Home Bargains
Iceland
JD Gym
Boots the Chemist
River Island
Holland & Barratt
Game
Style
Virgin Media
Three
Vision Express
Simply Clintons
Vodafone
Card Factory
H Samuels
O2
Greggs
Warren James
B&M
Mobile People
Molesworth Bright Clegg
Remploy
Butterworth Sports
Sayers
Thomas Cook
Paul Cheetham
Flower Studio
AAA Mobile
Simply Flowers
Mobile Accessory RMU
Sky Stand
Barber Shop
Brow Bar
Bag & Purse RMU
VIP Stand

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UPDATE

Plans to overhaul Sunday trading laws in England and Wales have been dropped after they were rejected by MPs by 317 votes to 286.

An unlikely alliance of 27 Conservative backbenchers, Labour and the SNP opposed the proposals to allow councils to extend opening hours.