As 80 per cent of councils now have a local plan in place, Martin spoke of the failure of Labour-controlled North East Lincolnshire Council to publish one. The Council had planned to publish its local plan in 2013, but now says it will not do so until 2017.
Explaining how the lack of a local plan meant that Lincolnshire villages are seeing many unnecessary planning applications, Martin said:
"Residents in North East Lincolnshire would welcome a local plan with high accessibility standards—indeed, they would welcome any local plan, but the Labour-controlled council will not produce one until 2017. In the meantime, villages are having many unnecessary planning applications. What advice can the Minister offer my local residents?"
The Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government, Stephen Williams MP, responded, highlighting how important it is that councils have up-to-date local plans. The Minister also noted that 80 per cent of councils now have a local plan, and was sorry that, unlike the vast majority of councils, North East Lincolnshire Council has not yet done so.
The Minister said:
"The Government strongly exhort all local authorities to have an up-to-date local plan in place, and 80% of authorities now have a published plan and 62% an adopted plan. I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman’s authority in Lincolnshire is not following suit."