I WAS disappointed to read the letter from the Labour councillor who serves on both Cheshire West and Chester Council and Northwich Town Council criticising the length of time taken to create and adopt the Local Plan, especially as the plan received all political party support at the council meeting on January 27.

I feel I ought to just point out that the length of time it has taken is entirely due to the actions of the previous Labour government.

They made the process of creating and adopting a local plan much more complex and consequently lengthened the process a council has to follow as set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 When CWAC was formed in 2009, it had hoped to continue the work completed by the three previous district councils. Working together they had completed the early stages of creating the Local Plan.

Sadly, in 2010, the Labour Government said we had to start again, adding two years to the timescales.

Most importantly, CWAC has created and adopted a Local Plan that complies with the most up-to-date planning rules, one of only 22 per cent of councils in the country to do so.

Yet the simpler Neighbourhood plan being developed by Northwich Town Council, in which the Labour Councillor is involved, has yet to see the light of day in any form of policies and community consultation.

Perhaps he should reflect on his own and his party’s poor performance before making unfounded and silly remarks as he did in last week’s edition of the Guardian.

Mike Jones Leader Cheshire West and Chester Council