The housing secretary has instructed seven local authorities to revise their timetables for delivering their local plans.

In a speech in which he announced the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) yesterday, Michael Gove named the councils as ‘failing to deliver for their communities’.

The councils, Amber Valley, Ashfield, Basildon, Castle Point, Medway, St Albans, and Uttlesford, received letters from Mr Gove yesterday.

They are the only seven planning authorities that have not adopted local plans since 2004 and have not submitted draft plans for examination, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said.

Mr Gove stressed that the councils had limited time, with a deadline to submit a plan under the current system by June 2025.

The authorities were directed to revise their local development schemes – timetables for the progression of local plans – within 12 weeks, with ‘further intervention action’ possible.

In his speech yesterday, Mr Gove also said he was ‘designating Chorley and Fareham for poor quality decision making’.

Both Chorley and Fareham Borough councils were designated in respect of applications for planning permission for major development. The designation will remain in force until revoked.

Mr Gove also said: 'I will be reviewing the current criteria and thresholds for designations, to make sure we are not letting off the hook authorities that should be doing better.'

In a separate government intervention, housing minister Lee Rowley wrote to West Berkshire Council yesterday, directing it not to withdraw its local plan from examination, which the authority had been due to consider at an extraordinary meeting.