The use of development indicators in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process is not only required legislatively (in terms of the Municipal Systems Act, 2000 amongst others), but is also aimed at ensuring the measurability of development initiatives and thereby at ensuring the accountability of decision-makers in municipalities. Development indicators guide municipalities in the allocation of scarce resources to those areas where they are most needed. Development indicators are therefore an essential part of an IDP. This article sets out to explore the use of these indicators in the IDPs of three local municipalities in the Free State, in order to demonstrate the critical absence of adequate development indicators in the IDPs. The article firstly explores the existing literature on development indicators and thereafter, the legislative requirements with regard to the use of development indicators in the IDPs. The various typ