Sunday trading vote postponed again

A DECISION on extending Sunday trading hours in Belfast has been deferred for the second time in as many weeks.

Now a summit between all interest parties will be held to try and reach an agreement.

Belfast councillors were expected to vote on the issue last week, however the decision was postponed so parties could have more time to gather information.

The motion was back on the table at a meeting of the council’s strategic policy and resources committee yesterday, however it appeared there were still issues that needed to be resolved.

At the last minute Sinn Fein group leader Deirdre Hargey proposed deferring the decision for another week to convene a “summit” of all stakeholders to try and reach an agreement.

Retail NI and USDAW, the shopworkers’ trade union, are

Summit: Deirdre Hargey firmly against extending the Sunday trading hours in Belfast.

Others, including Hospitality Ulster and Visit Belfast, are in favour of the proposals.

Ms Hargey said there were still “serious concerns and worries” regarding workers’ rights that needed to be resolved before a decision.

The vote is on whether to designate Belfast a “holiday resort”, which will allow large shops to extend their trading hours on 18 Sundays each year.