It looks to me like December 26th 2015 was a statutory Bank Holiday in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (obviously, being a Saturday, it shouldn't have been).
It's slightly interesting in the case of parking tickets issued that day. It may also be interesting for anyone who worked that day and was not paid correctly for Bank Holiday working.
Schedule 1 of the Banking and Finance Act 1971 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/80
Says that there is a Bank Holiday on '26th December, if it be not a Sunday.'
So, where Boxing Day is a Saturday, a Royal Proclamation should be issued, moving it to the following Monday.
(Bank Holidays may be amended, or added, by Royal Proclamation - Section 1 of B&F Act 1971).
Here is the example from 2009:
By the Queen A Proclamation APPOINTING MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER 2009 AS A BANK HOLIDAY IN ENGLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND IN PLACE OF SATURDAY 26TH DECEMBER 2009
www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-59248-979134
However, in 2015, the Royal Proclamation created a Bank Holiday on the 28th, but did not amend the Bank Holiday on the 26th:
BY THE QUEEN A PROCLAMATION APPOINTING MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER 2015, FRIDAY 1ST JANUARY 2016 AND MONDAY 2ND MAY 2016 AS BANK HOLIDAYS IN ENGLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND
www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2370676
This has actually happened before, in 1998, but it was amended later in the year, as discussed in a Parliamentary Research Briefing of December 2015.
http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06170
In 1998, Boxing Day fell on a Saturday. The original Proclamation merely proclaimed Monday, 28 December 1998, a bank holiday. However, this was re-proclaimed later in the year as a substitute for 26 December 1998.
There has been no re-proclamation published yet for 2015.
While it is remotely possible that one was made, but not published yet, that seems quite unlikely. Royal Proclamations are usually handled at Privy Council meetings; all of the meetings up to December 9th do not contain any new proclamation about the Bank Holiday. The Privy Council did not appear to meet again in December (or at least no meeting was scheduled or has been reported in the Court Circular).
I've tried emailing the Privy Council Secretariat for confirmation, but am still waiting for a response (and not genuinely expecting one).
Does anyone have an idea how I could get a definitive response from someone?
It's slightly interesting in the case of parking tickets issued that day. It may also be interesting for anyone who worked that day and was not paid correctly for Bank Holiday working.
Schedule 1 of the Banking and Finance Act 1971 www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1971/80
Says that there is a Bank Holiday on '26th December, if it be not a Sunday.'
So, where Boxing Day is a Saturday, a Royal Proclamation should be issued, moving it to the following Monday.
(Bank Holidays may be amended, or added, by Royal Proclamation - Section 1 of B&F Act 1971).
Here is the example from 2009:
By the Queen A Proclamation APPOINTING MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER 2009 AS A BANK HOLIDAY IN ENGLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND IN PLACE OF SATURDAY 26TH DECEMBER 2009
www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-59248-979134
However, in 2015, the Royal Proclamation created a Bank Holiday on the 28th, but did not amend the Bank Holiday on the 26th:
BY THE QUEEN A PROCLAMATION APPOINTING MONDAY 28TH DECEMBER 2015, FRIDAY 1ST JANUARY 2016 AND MONDAY 2ND MAY 2016 AS BANK HOLIDAYS IN ENGLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND
www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2370676
This has actually happened before, in 1998, but it was amended later in the year, as discussed in a Parliamentary Research Briefing of December 2015.
http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06170
In 1998, Boxing Day fell on a Saturday. The original Proclamation merely proclaimed Monday, 28 December 1998, a bank holiday. However, this was re-proclaimed later in the year as a substitute for 26 December 1998.
There has been no re-proclamation published yet for 2015.
While it is remotely possible that one was made, but not published yet, that seems quite unlikely. Royal Proclamations are usually handled at Privy Council meetings; all of the meetings up to December 9th do not contain any new proclamation about the Bank Holiday. The Privy Council did not appear to meet again in December (or at least no meeting was scheduled or has been reported in the Court Circular).
I've tried emailing the Privy Council Secretariat for confirmation, but am still waiting for a response (and not genuinely expecting one).
Does anyone have an idea how I could get a definitive response from someone?