The campaign to shift Britain’s clocks forward permanently and give the nation an extra hour of daylight has passed an important Parliamentary hurdle.

The ‘Lighter Later’ campaign wants to move clocks forward an hour throughout the year - meaning that it would be lighter for longer in the evenings.

Our poll run on the site has attracted 73 votes at the time of publishing of which 85% voted for the change to our clocks - it is not too late to post your vote.........

The campaign has been boosted by the news that a Private Members Bill calling for a change in the law has been given backing by the House of Commons.

The Daylight Saving Bill, put forward by Rebecca Harris, MP for Castle Point in Essex, passed its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday by 92 votes to ten and will now proceed to committee stage.

The bill would require the Government to conduct a detailed study into the potential costs and benefits of moving the clocks forward to create lighter evenings. If this review showed that the move would be beneficial, then the bill would mandate the government to initiate a three-year trial to evaluate the impact of the change.

Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister, who is backing the campaign, said:
“Clearing this important Parliamentary hurdle means that the prospect of a change in the law is now a step closer.  We support this campaign because we believe that an extra hour’s daylight could transform people’s lives.  Extra daylight would make it safer on the roads and make it safer for children as they travel home from school.

“It would have environmental and financial benefits too. Household electricity bills would be lower and with fewer lights switched on there would be big reductions in energy usage and carbon emissions.  Giving people an extra hour of daylight would also boost sports and leisure activities. People could visit parks for longer, and pursue a whole range of outdoor pursuits later into the evenings.

“We also believe that making this change would boost people’s feelings of well-being. The onset of long winter nights can have a negative impact on some people’s moods and in some cases lead to clinical depression. This change could provide some relief to those problems.

“It is difficult to think of any negatives associated with this change while the benefits could be substantial. That is why we are supporting the ‘Lighter Later’ campaign.”

The organisers of the campaign state:
“Everybody loves the sunshine. But every year we set our clocks so that we get less of it in our lives, sleeping through the sunlit mornings while we use expensive, polluting electric lights to keep out the dark nights. Lighter Later is a campaign to brighten all of our days, by changing the clocks so we are awake when the sun is out.

“The idea is simple: we shift the clocks forward by one hour throughout the entire year. We would still put the clocks forward in spring and back in autumn, but we would have moved an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening, when more of us are awake to enjoy it.

To find out more about the campaign visit www.lighterlater.org.

You can have your say on the idea by taking part in an online poll on the council’s website. To cast your vote visit www.wandsworth.gov.uk/getinvolved.

 

 

December 6, 2010