Lighter Later – Coming home in winter daylight

It’s an issue I’ve been passionate about for as long as I can remember. For no good reason every late October / early November we’re suddenly faced with the evening rush hour in the dark. The extra hour in bed for one Sunday morning in the year is never adequate compensation for the sheer desolation of those dark nights. Even wonderfully crisp winter days are over before the kids get out of school or workers exit from offices for the slow journey home. I hate it.

But there’s hope! Conservative MP Rebecca Harris, backed by an assortment of Labour, Conservative and Green Party colleagues has got through the first reading of her private members bill requiring the Secretary of State to review the existing arrangements and to look at alternative options of either not putting the clock back in winter or putting the clocks forward throughout the year (winter and summer) giving an extra hour of daylight all the year round. I think I prefer a time that stays at British Summer Time all through the year i.e. the clocks don’t go back in winter. However I’m happy for all options to be assessed.

To try to support the progress of this bill I’ve invited council colleagues from all parties to join me in writing to Mrs Harris to endorse her campaign to get the bill through its next stage in parliament.

Update: I’ve added the latest the signatories to the letter