Bank Holidays
Posted by Richard Younger-Ross, MP for Teignbridge, at 17:05, Fri 7 March 2008:
Last week, I contacted you regarding the Lisbon Treaty and whether you thought there should be a Referendum on this issue. Thank you to all of you who took the time to respond. After considering all the arguments on this issue, I voted in favour of a referendum.
You may be aware that the UK has the lowest number of Public Holidays in the European Union, with the exception of Romania; and we currently have 3 days less than the European average.
It was with this in mind that I met with a representative from travel agents, Thomas Cook late last month. The company are spearheading a campaign to persuade the government to introduce a further holiday, and have launched a petition for their customers to sign, as well as lobbying Members of Parliament like myself.
Thomas Cook believes that if we had another Bank Holiday it would be excellent for the tourist industry, and I tend to agree with them. However, consideration should be made for the economic impact that the added day’s holiday might have on small businesses.
I would be interested to know when people would prefer it. St George’s Day is the hot favourite, but then there would only be one week before the existing May Day Holiday. The Queen’s official birthday has a lot of support, as does Remembrance Day in November.
I would be interested to hear your views - should there be an additional Bank Holiday, when should it be and should it be a Monday, or vary to suit the actual day being celebrated/ remembered?
Please let me know your thoughts by email to yrossr@parliament.uk
Comments
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Posted by Royston Charles Gillson, 07:24, Sat 8 March 2008: (Is this post abusive?) #
I work within the meat industy and speak to many small businesses.The cost of a extra bank holiday to the industry to just one small retail shop. If they nomally take £500 on that day and still have to pay staff. That would cost £200 in lost profit and £100 in wages.That is just one small retail butcher mutiply that for the industry as a whole and you are talking milions of pounds.The owners of these bussinesses we not be able to afford to go on holiday they wil be thinking of how to recover the money lost and lay staff off.With the added burden of foot and mouth as well as blue tounge they meat industry is in a very poor state.The only people to get any compesation and public simpathy is the farmer. They meat industy get not grants no copensation..All they get is farmers getting diversifction grants to open farm shops and take a cut of a market that has already been swollowed up by the supermarkets. This leave no room at all for a small retail butcher with a business on the edge.I would like you to comment
Posted by jo gibson, 16:57, Sat 8 March 2008: (Is this post abusive?) #
Remembrance Day would be a good public holiday to remind people of the futility and wastefulness of war. Or perhaps St. Valentines Day to remind us of love and romance!