A Labour Party ally of Andy Burnham has called for relaxed planning regulations to encourage the establishment of more budget supermarkets in working-class neighborhoods, aiming to combat the cost of living crisis and address food deserts. Yuan Yang, a Member of Parliament, proposed that changes to planning laws could entice stores like Aldi and Lidl to open in areas with limited access to affordable groceries.
Yang, writing for the Fabian Society, also advocated for liberalizing Sunday trading laws in the short term. She argued that current restrictions, which limit large supermarkets to six-hour openings between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays, disproportionately affect working people who may need to shop later or rely on smaller, more expensive convenience stores. These smaller shops can cost consumers 10-20 percent more for basic goods, according to Yang.
"In the longer run, we can also look at planning laws to make it easier for supermarkets to build in new areas, such as relaxing car park requirements," Yang wrote. She noted that previous policy changes enabling the expansion of Lidl and Aldi resulted in "estimated welfare gains of 3.5 percent on certain basic products." She suggested the government could consider specific development rights for low-cost supermarkets, particularly in areas lacking larger retail options.
The current Sunday trading laws in England and Wales, enacted in 1994, allow larger retail units over 280 square meters (3,000 square feet) to open for a limited six-hour period. Scotland has no such restrictions. During the 2012 London Olympics, a temporary suspension of these restrictions for eight weeks led to a 3.2 percent increase in sales. Recent polling indicates public support for extending opening hours, with a June YouGov survey showing 54 percent favoring longer hours and 27 percent supporting the current six-hour limit.
In her article, Yang also touched upon reducing UK farmers' reliance on imported oil and fertilizer, suggesting retailers increase sales of plant-based foods in their own-brand ranges to mitigate vulnerability to volatile animal protein prices.