Britain could see a new Bank Holiday in October

The UK government is looking into the possibility of moving the May Day bank holiday to later in the year.

Members of the public are being asked to give their opinions on the plans, which could see St David’s Day at the beginning of March, or another date later in the year, replace the May bank holiday.

These ideas will form the content of a formal public consultation that will be launched towards the end of this year, to look at spreading out the bank holidays. The proposal has given the people of Wales a chance to push for a bank holiday to celebrate St David’s Day, something 87 per cent of people have wanted for years, according to a poll conducted in 2006.

Chief executive of CBI Wales, David Rosser, said he expected support for the proposal.

“It would not surprise me at all if there is widespread support. There is an issue of Easter and May getting quite crowded with bank holidays and certainly that was the case this year”, he said.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of TUC UK, said the May Day bank holiday should remain and another one be added to the calendar in October.

“From trade unionists and holidaymakers to Morris dancers and horticulturists, British people have been celebrating May Day for centuries. It makes no sense to mess around with an established bank holiday that workers and businesses have built their schedules around”, he said.

“Rather than shifting the deck chairs, the Government should end the UK’s embarrassing honour of having the fewest public holidays in Europe”, added Barber.

Join the bank holiday debate online at www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/8068.aspx or use #bankhol on Twitter.