Public holidays in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, public holidays are days on which most businesses and non-essential services are closed, although an increasing number of retail businesses (especially the larger ones) do open on some of the public holidays. There are restrictions on trading on Sundays and Christmas Day in England and Wales and on New Year's Day and Christmas Day in Scotland. Legally defined holidays, analogous to "public holidays" in many other countries, are usually called bank holidays in the United Kingdom, but can also be referred to as "public holidays"; strictly, however, "public holidays" refer to "common law holidays", the observance of which derive from custom and practice (see "Terminology" below).

Regional variations

• In Great Britain, while New Year's Day and Christmas Day are national holidays, other bank holidays are not necessarily public holidays, since the Scots instead observe traditional local custom and practice for their public holidays.
• In Northern Ireland, once again, bank holidays other than New Year's Day and Christmas Day are not necessarily public holidays.
• Good Friday and Christmas Day are common law holidays, except in Scotland, where they are bank holidays.^[1][2][3][4]
• In Scotland the holiday on 1 January (or 2 January if 1 January is Sunday) is statutory. If New Year's Day is Saturday a substitute holiday is given on 4 January by Royal Proclamation. 2 January is given by Royal Proclamation, with a substitute holiday on 4 January if it is Saturday and 3 January if it is Sunday or Monday. Outside Scotland, 1 January is given by Royal Proclamation, or 3 January if it is Saturday and 2 January if it is Sunday.
• In Scotland, 25 December is a statutory holiday (or 26 December if Christmas Day falls on a Sunday). 26 December is given by Royal Proclamation if it is neither Saturday, Sunday or Monday. 27 and 28 December are given by Royal Proclamation if Christmas Day is Saturday. 28 December only is given if Boxing Day is Saturday.
• Outside Scotland, if Christmas Day is a Sunday there is an additional statutory holiday on 27 December. By Royal Proclamation, if Christmas Day is a Saturday there is a substitute holiday on 28 December. If Boxing Day is a Sunday there is again a statutory holiday on 27 December, and if Boxing Day is a Saturday there is a substitute holiday by Royal Proclamation on 28 December. Effectively what happens is that if a holiday falls at the weekend a substitute day is given in lieu.

Proposals for change

The United Kingdom has no national day holiday marked and/or celebrated for its formal founding date.

In general, increasingly, are calls for extra public holidays on the patron saints' days in England (for St. George's Day), and Wales (for St. David's Day). This would equal Northern Ireland which has St Patrick's Day as a holiday. The Scottish Parliament has passed a law creating a special public holiday on St Andrew's Day but unlike other bank holidays it must be taken by workers in lieu of another public holiday (bank holiday).^[5] An online petition to the Prime Minister as to Wales received 11,000 signatures. There are advocates in Cornwall for a public holiday on St Piran's Day.

Terminology

The two terms "bank holidays" and "public holidays" are often used interchangeably, although strictly and legally there is a difference. A government website describes the difference as follows:

Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice.

The only date which would seem to qualify nationally as one and not the other is Easter Sunday on which it would be strange to treat as an ordinary date for great governmental business and many shops reduce their hours further than their normal Sunday routine. However informally on various days in various areas or streets – usually where one religion accounts for most of the population or has a resonance – in Britain other dates are commonly avoided for business opening and treated as local holidays.

Creation of holidays

Bank holidays may be declared in two ways:

• by statute (statutory holidays) – Holidays specifically listed in the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, Schedule 1.^[6]
• by royal proclamation – This has been used for annual bank holidays created since 1971, and is also used to move a bank holiday in a given year,^[7] and to create extra one-off bank holidays for special occasions.^[8] (The Act does not provide for a bank holiday to be suppressed by royal proclamation without appointing another day in its place).^[9]

Changes in date

Unlike the US, where public holidays falling on a Saturday are sometimes observed on the preceding Friday, British bank holidays are always moved to a later date, not an earlier one.^[1][2][3][4]

Workers' rights

Although there is no statutory right for workers to take paid leave on bank holidays, where paid leave is given (either because the business is closed or for other reasons), the bank holiday can count towards the minimum statutory holiday entitlement. Likewise, if people are required to work on a bank holiday, there is no statutory right to an enhanced pay rate nor to a day off in lieu, although many employers do give either or both. Any rights in this respect depend on the person's contract of employment.^[10] The statutory minimum paid holidays is 28 days or 5.6 weeks a year under the Working Time Regulations 1998 (including any bank holidays or public holidays that are taken).^[11]

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

			Region
Date	Name	Notes	England	Northern Ireland	Wales
1 January	New Year's Day	From 1974, by Royal Proclamation. See one of the substitutes below if 1 January falls on Saturday or Sunday.[1][2][3][4]	Y	Y	Y
2 January	not named	By Royal Proclamation, only in a year in which 1 January is a Sunday. Not applicable in 2020. In a year in which it occurs can be referred to (as for all such dates in lieu) in various ways, such as "Monday bank holiday instead of New Year's Day". For audiences familiar with British holidays, such as in many British diary series, it may be marked "New Year's Day holiday" with or without "(in lieu)" afterwards.
3 January	not named	By Royal Proclamation, only in a year in which 1 January is a Saturday. Not applicable in 2020.
17 March	St. Patrick's Day	Northern Ireland only.		Y
18 March	not named	Northern Ireland only, when 17 March is a Sunday. Not applicable in 2020.
19 March	not named	Northern Ireland only, when 17 March is a Saturday. Not applicable in 2020.
variable	Good Friday	Traditional common law holiday elevated to a statutory footing.[1][2][3][4] Falls on 10 April in 2020.	Y	Y	Y
	Easter Monday	Statutory bank holiday from 1871,[1] defined by name.[12] Falls on 13 April in 2020.	Y	Y	Y
First Monday in May	May Day Bank Holiday	From 1978, by Royal Proclamation.[1][2][3][4] Falls on 4 May in 2020. In 2020 this will be moved to Friday 8 May.[13]	Y	Y	Y
Last Monday in May	Spring Bank Holiday or Summer Half-Term Monday	Statutory bank holiday from 1971,[12] following a trial period from 1965 to 1971. Replaced Whit Monday, which had been a public holiday since 1871,[1] and whose date varied according to the date of Easter. Most schools fix a minimum of a week's break to coincide, giving the alternative name.[12][14][15] The legislation does not specify a name for the holiday, merely when it occurs. Falls on 25 May in 2020.	Y	Y	Y
12 July	Battle of the Boyne (Orangeman's Day)[16]	Northern Ireland only.		Y
13 July	not named	Northern Ireland only, when 12 July is a Sunday. Public Holiday in 2020.
14 July	not named	Northern Ireland only, when 12 July is a Saturday. Not applicable in 2020.
Last Monday in August	Late Summer Bank Holiday	Statutory bank holiday from 1971,[12] following a trial period from 1965 to 1971. Replaced the first Monday in August (formerly commonly known as "August Bank Holiday") which had been in use from 1871.[1][4][12] The legislation does not specify a name for the holiday, merely when it occurs. Falls on 31 August in 2020.	Y	Y	Y
25 December	Christmas Day	Traditional common law holiday.[1][2][3][4]	Y	Y	Y
26 December (see Notes)	Boxing Day	Statutory bank holiday from 1871.[1] Legislation does not name the holiday, but states that it falls on "26th December, if it be not a Sunday."[12] Public Holiday in 2020.	Y	Y	Y
27 December	not named	Statutory bank holiday only in a year in which 25 December is either on a Saturday or Sunday.[12] This has the effect of adding an extra holiday when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday.
28 December	not named	By Royal Proclamation. This is an extra holiday added when either Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a Saturday.
Total holidays			8	10	8

In 1995 the May Bank Holiday was moved to 8 May for the 50th anniversary of VE Day

Notes:

• In 1968–69 the new "August" bank holiday fell in September. This was as a result of the decision to move the holiday to the end of the month, and the nearest Monday being taken. The current definition was introduced in 1971.
• 14 November 1973 was made a special bank holiday to celebrate the wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips.^[17]
• 7 June 1977 was made a special bank holiday as part of the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II.^[18]
• The wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981 resulted in an extra bank holiday.^[19]
• In 1995 the May Day bank holiday was moved to 8 May as it was the 50th anniversary of VE Day.^[20]
• 31 December 1999 was a one-off bank holiday as part of the Millennium celebrations.^[21]
• In 2002, there was a special holiday on Monday, 3 June, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The Spring Bank Holiday was moved from 27 May to 4 June to make it a four-day weekend.^[22]
• There was a special holiday on Friday, 29 April 2011 to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
• In 2012, there was a special holiday on Tuesday, 5 June, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Therefore, to make it a four-day weekend, the Spring Bank Holiday that would usually have occurred at the end of May was delayed until Monday, 4 June 2012.^[23]
• In 2020 the May bank holiday on 4 May will be moved to 8 May to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.^[24][25]

Scotland

Most bank holidays are not recognised in Scotland, as public holidays are generally determined by local authorities across Scotland. Some of these may be taken in lieu of statutory holidays while others may be additional holidays, although many companies, including Royal Mail, do not follow all the holidays listed below, and many swap between English and local holidays.

Since Easter 1996 the Scottish clearing banks have harmonised the days on which they are closed with those in England and Wales and are therefore closed on Easter Monday and the last Monday in August (rather than the first). This has resulted in a number of local authorities creating a public holiday on Easter Monday. Previously Easter Monday had not been a public holiday in Scotland.

There have been protests about banks opening on 2 January since this decision was taken.^{[citation needed]} This has resulted in many banks now providing only a limited service on 2 January, with most members of staff still entitled to the holiday.

Notes:

• The observance of Christmas Day was abolished by an Act of Parliament in 1640.^[26][27][28] It was included in the schedule to the Bank Holidays Act 1871.^[29]
• Boxing Day (26 December) became a public holiday in Scotland in 1974. See also Christmas in Scotland.

Official bank holidays are:

^[30]

Note: In 2012, there was a special holiday on Tuesday, 5 June, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Most areas in Scotland did not have Monday 4 June as a holiday.

See also

• List of holidays by country
• Public and bank holidays in Scotland
• Public holidays in Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
• Public holidays in the Isle of Man
• UK labour law
• Public holidays in the Pitcairn Islands

References

External links

• Bank Holidays and British Summer Time
• Scotland Bank Holidays - Scottish Government