MADAM — Neil Carmichael, in his letter to the SNJ (September 10), alleges that the current district council administration has unduly delayed the production of the local plan.

The administration formed by the Labour, Green and Lib Dem groups on the council was first formed in May 2012.

The resolution to approve the publication of the local plan was carried overwhelmingly by the council in July 2013, and, after the necessary public consultation, submitted for public examination in December 2013.

In its evidence to the Parliamentary Committee that is looking at the operation of the planning legislation introduced by the government, the District Councils Network, a group that represents district councils of all political administrations, has stated that “a local plan can typically take three to five years from start to finish”.

I leave it to readers to judge whether Mr Carmichael’s observations are accurate.

Rather than constant sniping, it could have been much more use to residents if our MP had worked with his local council, as other MPs have done, to help resist the predatory developers encouraged by current planning laws.

Geoff Wheeler

Leader

Stroud District Council