Proposed St David's Day bank holiday facts for kids
Saint David's Day is a special day in Wales, celebrated every year on March 1st. It honors Saint David, who is the patron saint of Wales. Even though it's a big celebration of Welsh identity, it's not a public holiday in Wales. Many people in Wales want it to be a day off for everyone.
Surveys show that most people in Wales support making St David's Day a public holiday. However, the UK Government decides about public holidays in Wales. They have said no to making it a holiday. They also won't let the Welsh Government decide this for themselves, even though the Welsh Government wants it to be a holiday.
The UK Government says it would be too hard to make it a holiday. They worry about many people who travel for work between England and Wales. They also think it would cost too much money. Because of this, some public groups in Wales have decided to give their staff the day off unofficially. Wales and England have eight public holidays each year. Scotland has nine, and Northern Ireland has ten. In Europe, the average is twelve holidays a year.
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What is Saint David's Day?
Saint David's Day is a special day to remember Saint David. He was the patron saint of Wales. The day is celebrated on March 1st because that's when Saint David passed away in 589 AD. On this day, people across Wales hold fun events and parades in many towns and cities.
In England, Saint George's Day is celebrated, but it's not a public holiday. However, Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in Northern Ireland. Also, Saint Andrew's Day is a public holiday in Scotland. Scotland was able to make St Andrew's Day a holiday in 2007. This is because the Scottish Government has the power to decide its own public holidays.
The UK Government makes the rules for public holidays in England and Wales. This means Wales is the only country in the UK that cannot decide its own public holidays.
Having an extra public holiday could help some parts of the economy. For example, places popular with tourists, like Conwy and Pembrokeshire, might see more visitors. Other areas might not see as much benefit.
Why isn't it a holiday?
People have been trying to make St David's Day a public holiday for a long time. In 1997, the idea was first discussed. Some politicians thought it was a good idea. However, others worried about the cost. One politician, Kim Howells, said in 1997 that it could cost a lot of money. He also thought it might lead to demands for similar holidays in England and Scotland.
In 2000, the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament) voted that St David's Day should be a public holiday. Everyone in the Senedd agreed. But the UK Government at the time still said no, mostly because of the possible cost to the economy.
Surveys have shown strong support for the idea. In 2006, 87% of people supported it. In 2018, another survey showed 58% of Welsh people wanted a holiday just for Wales on March 1st. Another 17% wanted it to be a holiday across the whole UK.
In 2018, the UK Labour party suggested making all four patron saint days (St David's, St George's, St Andrew's, and St Patrick's) public holidays across the whole UK. But surveys showed most people preferred a holiday only in their own country.
In 2021, a petition to the Senedd was rejected. This was because the Senedd doesn't have the power to create public holidays. That power belongs to the UK Government.
In 2022, an online petition asking the UK Parliament to make St David's Day a holiday got more than 10,000 signatures. This means the UK Government had to respond. They said they still had no plans to make it a holiday because of the cost.
Councils taking action
Since the UK Government won't make St David's Day a public holiday, some local councils in Wales have taken their own steps.
- In 2015, the Isle of Anglesey County Council stopped giving its staff St David's Day as a holiday. They had done this since 1996.
- In 2018, Powys County Council voted against making March 1st a holiday for its staff.
- Carmarthenshire County Council has asked for all of Wales to work together on this issue.
In January 2022, Gwynedd Council voted to let its staff have a paid day off on St David's Day. They did this even though the UK Government said no. Councillors felt it was unfair that Wales had to ask for a national holiday. They pointed out that an extra holiday was quickly created for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Gwynedd Council estimated this would cost them about £200,000 each year. Teachers, however, would still have to work, as their contracts are different.
In January 2022, Caerphilly County Borough Council also said they would ask the Welsh and UK Governments for a St David's Day holiday. They believed all of Wales deserved a national holiday.
By February 2022, thirteen social businesses in Wales announced they would give their staff the day off on March 1st. The Snowdonia National Park Authority also gave its staff an extra holiday day in 2021 and 2022. They said it was a reward for their hard work during the pandemic.
In June 2022, a committee at Pembrokeshire County Council said no to giving staff a local holiday on March 1st, 2023. They supported the idea of a holiday but felt it was up to the Welsh Government to keep pushing for it. They estimated it would cost £250,000 for education alone.
In July 2022, a proposal was made to Powys County Council to give staff the day off on March 1st, 2023. This was estimated to cost around £700,000.
Why people support it
Many people support making St David's Day a public holiday for several reasons.
- Fairness: They argue that since Scotland and Northern Ireland have holidays for their patron saints, Wales should too.
- Economy: Supporters believe a holiday could help the Welsh economy. It could boost tourism and make Wales more appealing to visitors from other countries.
- Culture: A public holiday would be a great chance to celebrate Welsh culture, history, traditions, and the life of St David. It would also make it easier to organize parades and events.
All major political parties in the Senedd, including Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru, Welsh Liberal Democrats, and Welsh Conservatives, support the idea.
Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said it's a day to celebrate Welsh culture and history. She believes it's only right for St David's Day to be a public holiday, just like St Andrew's Day in Scotland and St Patrick's Day in Ireland. The pro-independence group YesCymru also supports the holiday. Even Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, supports it, even though his party in Westminster is against it.
In March 2022, the Welsh Government said they were disappointed that the UK Government kept refusing their requests to have the power to make St David's Day a holiday.
Online support
From February to April 2022, over 12,000 people signed an e-petition on the UK Parliament's website. This petition asked for St David's Day to be a public holiday. When a petition gets over 10,000 signatures, the UK Government has to respond. If it gets over 100,000, it can be discussed in Parliament. The UK Government responded by saying they still had no plans for the holiday because of the cost to the economy.
Why some oppose it
The power to create public holidays in Wales belongs to the UK Government. They have continued to say no to making March 1st a holiday.
- Commuting: In December 2021, the government said too many people travel for work between Wales and England. They believe a holiday would cause too much disruption for businesses. Paul Scully, a UK Minister, said that more people work across the England/Wales border than the England/Scotland border.
- Cost: The UK Government also worries about the economic cost. The newspaper, the Daily Mail, criticized the idea, saying taxpayers would pay for a holiday for "Welsh nationalists." They mentioned that Gwynedd Council's decision to give staff the day off would cost £200,000.
- Different histories: The UK Government also said that Scotland and Northern Ireland have extra holidays because they have "different histories, economic, social, cultural and legal systems."
In 2022, Simon Hart, a Conservative MP and Welsh Secretary, also said he was against the idea. It was estimated that a UK-wide bank holiday in 2012 cost £1.2 billion.
