Chapter 5 and the following Chapter 6 examine the current status of EBPM in the UK. Chapter 5 focuses on how English local governments use evidence in their Local Plans, which are the core documents guiding spatial planning and many related policy areas. Drawing on a systematic analysis of references in Local Plans from six English local authorities, the chapter maps what kinds of documents are cited as evidence, who produces them, and for which policy topics they are used. The analysis shows that the evidence base of Local Plans is dominated by local planning documents and locally commissioned or locally conducted research, with little or no direct use of academic research. Most research-based evidence is produced by external organizations working for local authorities, and evidence is concentrated in certain policy areas—particularly economic development, housing and building, and transportation and infrastructure. These patterns reveal the composition of the evidence base underpinning Local Plans and provide insight into how EBPM is currently practiced at the local government level in England, setting the stage for the more detailed examination of housing evidence in Chapter 6.