Local Authorities: Local Plans

Lord Avebury Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

I am talking about England. If I were to talk about Wales, where the Labour Party is in government, things are a lot worse over there.

[Lord Avebury (LD)]

My Lords, in the case of planning for Travellers, the DCLG issued a paper requiring local authorities to provide, by the end of March 2013, a five-year supply of specific deliverable sites against targets based on up-to-date assessments of local need. Will my noble friend say whether the Government will ask local authorities to submit returns by the end of March this year showing how they have satisfied that requirement? If the answer is that hardly any have done so, will they embody the requirement in statute? Is there ministerial power to enforce it?

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

As my noble friend knows, the policy is clear that, through local plans, local authorities should plan to meet housing needs and the needs of Gypsies and Travellers. This Government do not impose or monitor targets, but the Planning Inspectorate is applying the policy robustly in examining local plans.