26.03.18
Three councils facing intervention from gov after failing to produce local plan
Three local authorities are facing action from the government over failing to produce a local plan.
In a statement to Parliament today, Sajid Javid said that he had written to 15 local planning authorities to commence the process of intervention, warning them that they needed to produce a plan by 31 January.
From those councils, three have still not published a plan, Castle Point Council, Thanet District Council and Wirral Council, who will now see government officials sent to their areas to assist in the next steps of Javid’s intervention.
“In three areas, Castle Point, Thanet and Wirral, I am now particularly concerned at the consistent failure and lack of progress to get a plan in place and have not been persuaded by the exceptional circumstances set out by the council or the proposals they have put forward to get a plan in place,” the MHLG told the House.
“We will therefore step up the intervention process in these three areas. I will be sending in a team of planning experts, led by the government’s chief planner, into these three areas to advise me on the next steps in my intervention.
“My Department will also be speaking to the County Councils and Combined authority with a view to inviting those bodies to prepare the local plan in these three areas as well as exploring the possibility with neighbouring authorities of directing the preparation of joint plans,” he concluded.
One other authority, Northumberland CC, was also warned that it needed to produce a clearer timetable and accelerate its plan production.
Top image: David Mirzoeff