Plan making has significantly improved under this Government. 81% of local planning authorities have at least published their plan and 63% of local planning authorities now have an adopted local plan in place (compared to 17% in 2010).<\/p>
<\/p>
The Localism Act has strengthened the role of Local Plans, allowing local councils \u2013 in consultation with local residents \u2013 to draw up plans and determine where new development should and should not go. Paragraph 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework already provides a very strong incentive for councils to have a Local Plan in place. I am aware that the Labour Party's Lyons Review proposed that sanctions should be imposed against councils without a Local Plan and that the Secretary of State should direct the Planning Inspectorate to produce a Local Plan in place of the Council. However, I believe that proposal is excessively centralising, and would be an unpalatable re-creation of the top-down planning regime that we abolished in the Localism Act.<\/p>
<\/p>
Drawing up a Local Plan can be challenging \u2013 it involves trade-offs and hard choices, and there is no longer Regional Planning Guidance or Regional Spatial Strategy imposed from above to hide behind and blame. But it is our preference for this to be a locally-led process.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government has supported local authorities in their Plan making by funding the Planning Advisory Service; the Planning Inspectorate; and senior retired Planning Inspectors to help bring forward sound Local Plans.<\/p>
<\/p>
This Government introduced neighbourhood planning which offers an unprecedented opportunity for communities to develop plans with statutory force. Over 1,400 communities, representing around 6 million people in England, have now applied for a neighbourhood area to be designated and 59 successful referendums on neighbourhood plans have been held. The Government is committed to supporting communities throughout the process and encouraging more communities to join them. The Government recently announced a new support contract worth £22.5 million, which will begin in April 2015 and last until 2018.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4009", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Great Yarmouth"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Brandon Lewis"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-03-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "227786"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-03-24T18:04:25.043Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "7"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Communities and Local Government"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-03-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Local Plans"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for local authorities who do not produce a local plan to be placed in special measures.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Nuneaton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Marcus Jones"} ], "uin" : "227787"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/93160", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/93160/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Schools and academies in Nuneaton constituency have been allocated £3.181 million through the pupil premium for financial year 2013 to 2014, and £4.004 million for financial year 2014 to 2015.<\/p>
This includes funding through the deprivation and service child elements of the pupil premium for financial year 2013 to 2014, and also the children adopted from care element for financial year 2014 to 2015. It excludes the looked-after children element in both years as this is not available at a parliamentary constituency level.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1473", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr David Laws"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Yeovil"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr David Laws"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-20T16:50:30.0143829Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Nuneaton"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much schools in Nuneaton constituency received under the pupil premium in 2013-14; and how much such schools will receive in pupil premium in 2014-15.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Nuneaton"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Marcus Jones"} ], "uin" : "210414"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/93162", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/93162/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Physical Education & Sport premium allocations eligibility for academic year 2013/14 was given to all primary schools and academies with pupils in year groups 1 to 6, as well as those aged 5 in reception and aged 5-10 not following the year groups.<\/p>
<\/p>
Allocations for academic year 2013/14, including schools and academies in Nuneaton constituency, can be found online at:<\/p>
www.gov.uk/government/publications/pe-and-sport-grant-2013-to-2014-allocation-breakdown<\/a><\/p> Allocations for academic year 2014 to 2015 will be announced shortly.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1605", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Edward Timpson"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Crewe and Nantwich"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Edward Timpson"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "210393"}
, {"_value" : "210394"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-17T13:43:30.3561737Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "PE and Sport Premium: Nuneaton"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which primary schools and academies in Nuneaton constituency have received the PE and sport premium to date; and how much each such school and academy has been awarded under that premium.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4024", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Marcus Jones"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Nuneaton"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Marcus Jones"}
], "uin" : "210413"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/93163", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/93163/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Physical Education & Sport premium allocations eligibility for academic year 2013/14 was given to all primary schools and academies with pupils in year groups 1 to 6, as well as those aged 5 in reception and aged 5-10 not following the year groups.<\/p> <\/p> Allocations for academic year 2013/14, including schools and academies in Nuneaton constituency, can be found online at:<\/p>