Proposed St David's Day Bank Holiday

Saint David's Day is currently not a bank holiday in Wales. Some Welsh politicians have proposed that St David's Day, a celebration of Welsh identity, observed on 1 March, be designated as a public holiday. Polls show the proposal to have majority support in Wales. The UK Government holds the power to designate public holidays in Wales, and has refused proposals for either designating the day or devolving powers to the Welsh Government, which supports the proposal. The UK Government stated that designating the day would not be feasible due to the large numbers of commuters crossing the England–Wales border, as well as the economic impact of the proposal. In response to the UK Government's refusal, some public bodies in Wales have unofficially designated the day to be a holiday for their staff. Wales and England have eight public holidays, Scotland has nine, Northern Ireland has ten, whereas the average in Europe is twelve annual holidays.

Background

Saint David's Day is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March, the date of Saint David's death in 589 AD. On the day, traditional festivities are held across Wales, with parades held in various towns and cities in the country.

St David's Day, like St George’s Day in England, is not a public holiday. However, St Patrick’s Day is an official bank holiday in Northern Ireland, and St Andrew's Day is an official bank holiday in Scotland. St Andrews Day was made a public holiday in Scotland in 2007, by the then Labour Scottish Government, which, unlike Wales, holds the power to designate public holidays. If defining the UK Government to be the responsible elected government for England, that would make Wales the only country in the UK unable to decide its own public holidays.

Powers to designate public holidays in England and Wales are held by the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Bank Holidays are designated by the UK-wide Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. The designation of St. Andrew's day outside this act, gives it a different legal status.

, Wales and England have eight public holidays, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland has nine, Northern Ireland has ten, whereas the average in Europe is twelve annual holidays.

The benefits of an extra public holiday have been disputed, some sectors of the economy may benefit, whereas others suffer. Tourism hotspots such as Conwy and Pembrokeshire may benefit, but areas where there is less tourism may see little benefits.

History

In 1997, following the 1997 United Kingdom general election which resulted in the Labour Party under Tony Blair winning, a St. David's Day bank holiday was proposed during a consultation exercise, with Secretary of State for Wales Ron Davies raising awareness of the proposal. Kim Howells, MP for Pontypridd and a Department for Education and Employment minister, stated his opposition in 1997, citing the £2.8 billion cost, impacts to teaching and increasing demands for similar days in England and Scotland (which at the time, Saint Andrew's Day was not a bank holiday). Howells later clarified in 2022, that he holds no "strong views" on the subject. Jack Straw, then Home Secretary also opposed the idea, citing he was confused over whether the proposal also extends to England.

In 2000, the then National Assembly for Wales (now Senedd) voted unanimously in support for the granting of St David's Day to be a bank holiday. The Labour UK government continued to oppose the idea, citing the economic impact.

A 2006 poll showed support for a St David's Day national bank holiday to be at 87%.

A 2007 petition was rejected by the then Labour UK Government, under Tony Blair.

In 2018, the UK Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn, campaigned for making St David's Day and St George's Day bank holidays, together with St Andrew's Day and St Patrick's Day, as part of a plan to have all four patron saint days become UK-wide bank holidays.

In 2018, a YouGov poll conducted between October 2017 and March 2018, showed wide support (49-67%) for all patron saint days to become a bank holiday in their respective countries, with Corbyn's proposal for four UK-wide holidays supported only by 13-24% of sampled populations of the four countries. 58% of the Welsh sampled in the poll supported a Welsh bank holiday on 1 March, 17% a UK-wide holiday on 1 March, 20% opposed and 5% do not know.

In March 2021, a petition to the Senedd was rejected, as it concerned a proposal the Senedd or Welsh Government was not responsible for.

In October 2021, Gwynedd Council called on the UK Government to consider recognising St David's Day as a day of national celebration and to devolve powers over bank holidays. Both were rejected by the government.

In February 2022, an e-petition supporting the proposal exceeded 10,000 signatures.

Unofficial designation

Until 2015, Isle of Anglesey County Council staff celebrated St David's Day as a statutory/concessionary holiday following the council's establishment in 1996. The holiday's designation for council staff ended in 2015 following the formal adoption of a single status (job evaluation).

In 2018, a Powys County Council motion to make 1 March a bank holiday for staff, was voted down by 12 votes.

Carmarthenshire County Council has asked for an all-Wales approach to a St David's Day bank holiday.

In January 2022, Gwynedd Council voted to allow its staff to celebrate St David's Day with a paid day off work despite the UK government's refusal. Gwynedd councillors described the situation "like Oliver Twist", where they have to ask the UK government for a public holiday on Wales' national day, whereas an additional bank holiday was quickly created for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The council designated 1 March 2022, to be an "additional holiday day" for Council staff. A Gwynedd Council report stated that it would cost the council £200,000 every year. Teachers would have to continue to work on the day, as their contracts are not the council's responsibility.

On 27 January 2022, Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) announced they would also lobby the Welsh and UK Governments for a St David's Day bank holiday. Following unanimous support from all council members to lobby for a St David's day bank holiday, Caerphilly Council leader Philippa Marsden suggested that all of Wales deserved a national holiday and that an all-Wales approach would be most appropriate "It would not be right or fair for those employees of CCBC alone to benefit from a public holiday, whilst their family members or neighbours employed elsewhere do not."

Other councils in Wales have announced they do not have plans to designate 1 March in 2022, as a holiday for staff.

By late February, thirteen social enterprises in Wales have announced they will give their staff a day off on 1 March 2022. Including the charity People and Work in Cardiff and Pentre (Rhondda), saying that its decision reflected the changing face of Wales. The Snowdonia National Park Authority announced that "staff received the extra day of holiday last year 021as a reward for their hard work over the pandemic and we feel that the same should happen again this year 022.

In June 2022, a Pembrokeshire County Council committee rejected a notice of motion to give council staff a local bank holiday on 1 March 2023. The committee broadly supported the idea of a bank holiday, but "felt it was up to the Welsh Government to continue its campaign". £250,000 was the estimate cost for the impact to education.

In July 2022, a motion had been put forward to Powys County Council by a Plaid Cymru councillor, suggesting that council staff be given the day-off on 1 March 2023. The proposal was estimated to cost £700,000, with more work and expense claims expected to increase the cost.

Support

A 2006 poll showed support for a St David's Day national bank holiday to be at 87%. Support for the holiday remained high at 65% even when asked if another public holiday is lost to provide a slot for St David's Day. A 2018 YouGov poll showed 75% support for a St David's Day bank holiday (58% Wales-only holiday; 17% UK-wide holiday).

Supporters for the designation, cite various reasons for a St David's Day bank holiday. They argue that Scotland and Northern Ireland having their patron saint bank holidays is a reason for Wales to have the same. Economically, they argue that the bank holiday would potentially lead to a boost to the Welsh economy, tourism, and increase the international appeal of Wales. Culturally, supporters say the day would provide an opportunity to celebrate Wales as a whole, Welsh historical events, traditions, heritage, and the life of St David. It would also allow a better chance for parades to be organised for the day. Celebrating St David's Day as a public holiday in Wales is supported by all parties and members of the Senedd which include the Welsh Labour government, Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Conservatives.

Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds supports St David's Day as a bank holiday by saying; "This is the day we all come together to celebrate the huge tapestry of Welsh culture and remember our collective history. It is only right therefore that St David’s Day, Wales' national day, is made a public holiday just like St Andrew’s Day in Scotland and St Patrick’s Day in Ireland." Non-party-political pro-independence movement group YesCymru have voiced their support for a St David's Day public holiday. Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative leader, has stated his support for the bank holiday, despite Conservatives in Westminster opposing the idea.

A Senedd debate was held on 2 March 2022, following the UK Government's rejection of a St David's Day bank holiday. The Welsh Government said, "We've repeatedly asked the UK government for the Senedd to have the powers to make St David's Day a bank holiday, and it's disappointing to see these requests continue to be refused".

Online petition

From February 2022 to closure on 14 April, over 12,000 people signed an e-petition for St David's Day to be designated a bank holiday, on the UK Parliament's e-petition site. Petitions with over 10,000 receive a response from the UK Government, with petitions over 100,000 considered for a UK parliamentary debate. The UK Government responded stating that there are no plans to make St David's Day a bank holiday due to its considerable cost to the economy. Although a previous admission stated that the cost of the one-off bank holiday for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 cost £1.2 billion.

Opposition

Powers to designate public holidays in Wales are held by the UK Government's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The UK Government has resisted calls for a public holiday in Wales every 1 March. In December 2021, the government claimed that there were too many people commuting across the border between Wales and England, for the public holiday to be economically feasible. Minister for Small Business and MP for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Scully, said: "While we appreciate that the people of Wales want to celebrate their patron saint, more people work across the English/Welsh border than across the English/Scottish border ..caus nggreater business disruption ..if we had separate bank holidays".

UK tabloid, the Daily Mail, voiced their criticisms of a St David's Day bank holiday in Wales, claiming taxpayers would have to pay for the bank holiday for Welsh nationalists, following reports that the Gwynedd Council decision to designate the day as an additional holiday would cost £200,000. In 2022, there would be additional public holidays to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The UK Government is said to also be considering a public holiday for the Queen, and said they continue to oppose a public holiday for Wales.

The UK government also stated that Scotland and Northern Ireland have an extra holiday because of their "different histories, economic, social, cultural and legal systems".

In 2022, Simon Hart, Conservative MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire and Welsh Secretary, stated he is opposed to the idea.

£2.3 billion was the estimated cost for a UK-wide bank holiday in 2012 (not specific to Wales), and measuring the impacts of a bank holiday are "very difficult".

See also

* List of movements in Wales

References

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Saint David's Day
St David's Day