Last week the UK moved one step closer to lighter evenings all year round as the Government gave its backing to the Daylight Savings Bill.
The Private Members Bill, tabled by Rebecca Harris MP, proposes that an independent review take place to assess the costs and benefits of moving the clocks forward by an hour all year round. Were a positive conclusion to be reached the Government would then have to implement a three year trial change.
The Sport and Recreation Alliance has been working with Lighter Later – the campaigning organisation behind the Bill – to make the case for change. Lighter evenings would increase opportunities for sport and recreation, boosting participation across a wide range of activities and improving levels of physical activity across all age groups.
It isn’t just the sport and recreation sector which welcomes the move; the tourism industry, road safety organisations and community groups are all backing the campaign, pointing to such benefits as fewer road casualties, reduced carbon dioxide emissions and an estimated £2.5 billion boost to the leisure and tourism industry.
Support for the Lighter Later campaign formed one of four actions contained within our ‘Sports Club Pledge’, which was launched at the ‘Club Together’ Parliamentary event on 25 October. While many MPs are supportive of the change there are still many who need convincing, and as such the Government’s support for the Bill rests on achieving UK-wide support.
This means that the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would have to agree to any proposed trial. Explaining the Government’s move, Business Minister Ed Davey MP said:
“As the Prime Minister has made clear we would need consensus from the devolved administrations if any change were to take place… It is only right that we at least look at what the potential economic and social benefits of any change might be.”
