Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that all councils adopt local development frameworks; and if he will make a statement.

Eighty per cent of councils have a published Plan compared with one in six with an adopted Core Strategy in May 2010. Up to date Local Plans are the best way of determining what development is appropriate and where. I have recently written to many councils emphasising the importance of up to date plans