August Bank Holiday
StatusCurrently observed
Date(s)Last Monday of August ( England, Wales, Northern Ireland)
First Monday of August ( Scotland)
FrequencyAnnual
Country United Kingdom
Inaugurated1871

The August Bank Holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, part of the statutory bank holiday provision. Originally, the holiday was held on the first Monday of August across the country, but was changed in the late 1960s to the last Monday in August for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It remains the first Monday for Scotland.

Creation

The holiday was one of four created by the Bank Holidays Act 1871 (along with Easter Monday, Whit Monday and Boxing Day),[1] being the only one which was not linked to an Anglican religious festival. The act was introduced by Liberal politician Sir John Lubbock.[2][3]

Lubbock argued that the act was passed with relative ease because of the naming as a 'bank' holiday, with those who might have opposed it thinking it only applied to banks.[4]

Move to end of August

In 1964, an experimental move to the end of August was announced by then-Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development, Edward Heath,[5] taking effect for two years from 1965,[6] responding to pressure from the holiday industry to extend the season.[5][7] The move applied to England and Wales, but not to Scotland.

There was consultation on other methods of staggering holidays and reducing congestion related to this. Other suggestions included staggering school holidays by region, and introducing a four-term school year.[8]

Following the two year trial, each year's date was announced in Parliament on an ad hoc basis, causing problems for publishers of the calendars and diaries.[9] The rule seems to have been to select the weekend of the last Saturday in August, so that in 1968[10] and 1969[11] Bank Holiday Monday actually fell in September,[12] causing concern amongst some politicians.[13]

The date was settled in statute with the passage of the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which remains in force today, with the date specified as "the last Monday in August".[14]

Proposed changes

In 2014, a Private member's bill was introduced by Conservative MP Peter Bone to rename the holiday as Margaret Thatcher day, in honour of the late Prime Minister,[15] but the bill failed to progress past the first reading.[16]

References

  1. ^ "History of Bank & Public Holidays". Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Bank Holidays Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 204. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 21 February 1871. col. 661–662.
  3. ^ Lapthorne, Bill (24 June 1977). "Castle Housed Servants". East Kent Times and Mail.
  4. ^ "Why not scrap Bank Holidays?". Liverpool Echo. 24 April 1962.
  5. ^ a b "New Date for August Bank Hoilday". Liverpool Echo. 4 March 1964. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  6. ^ "August Bank Holiday". Herald Express. 30 December 1964.
  7. ^ "Bank Holiday On The Last Monday In August". The Times. 5 Mar 1964. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "S.W. plea to end 'August Bank Hoiday'". Somerset Standard. 6 March 1964. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  9. ^ "1969 Dilemma on Diary Dates". The Times. 27 January 1967. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  10. ^ "Bank Holiday Dates For 1967 And 1968". The Times. 4 June 1965. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  11. ^ "1969 Bank Holidays". The Times. 22 March 1967. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  12. ^ "Marldon Apple-Pie Fair". Torbay Express. 15 August 1969.
  13. ^ "August Bank Holiday in September?". Spalding Guardian. 16 August 1963.
  14. ^ "Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971: Schedule 1". legislation.gov.uk.
  15. ^ Cockerton, Paul (16 July 2013). "Margaret Thatcher Day bank holiday proposed by Tories backed by just one in eight voters". The Mirror.
  16. ^ "Margaret Thatcher Day Bill". 14 May 2014.
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