Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, after how long it is his policy to take action when a local planning authority has not produced a playing pitch strategy; and what powers his Department has to taken such action after that period.

Sport England, which helps local authorities develop and implement Playing Pitch Strategies to protect existing playing fields as well as meet future demand, recommends that the strategy should be updated every three years. In its role as statutory consultee, Sport England also monitors the number of planning applications that have an impact on playing fields and objects where it believes local sports provision could be harmed. As set out in our sports strategy, published last month, this Government is committed to improving the quality of community sports facilities.