Allotment bullying

[skeggijon]

I agree with what has already been said, but would add that preventing you from leaving the site would be deemed to be unlawful confinement.

[Mark Lottie]

How were you detained? Did MrB literally keep you blocked in and unable to leave?

Were there any witnesses? Get a witness account off everyone present.

Sounds like you were illegally detained/falsely imprisoned by someone who isnt a police officer.

I'd report him to the police as well as complain to the council. He has no power to detain you, he has broken the law. Maybe consider a restraining order.

Maybe it sounds a bit immature but if this happened to me or someone I cared about and it rattled them as much as you say, I would go the full nuclear option

[Sarico]

Make sure from now on to maybe use your phone to record what they say or they do. I know is not nice but if.he does do something like that again and you got it on camera o recorder tell that you will report him to the police. Plus why they didn't sent a remainder for the rent? my allotment sent letter to all the plots holder 1 month in advance.

[Bohobumble]

I am guessing that after 10 years on the plot you'd rather sort things out amicably and get back to gardening rather than have bad feeling or an untenable situation.

Certainly log what's happened *in case* needed but I'd be speaking to the committee/council carefully and calmly, leaving them the person involved the option to back down without losing face, perhaps with them apologising for any overzealousnous that may have been over the top... no hard feelings etc. etc. You need to be the reasonable person here, even if they won't, it will go in your favour.

Be calm as can be, it's purely an oversight on your part that you rectified as soon as becoming aware, and the secretary as an agent accepted; as they took your rental payment. Seeing as you had extenuating circumstances then there is plenty of room for an amicable solution.

If there has genuinely been bullying and a fellow plotholder vandalising your crop then I would suggest dealing with this as a separate issue through the channels allowed for after the administrative/rental issue has been resolved. Keeping them separate will help the committee figure out the muddle of the rental more cleanly rather than having them forced into the arbiters position and having to have them label someone as a bully over a simple administrative misunderstanding.

Don't return any key until due process is followed tho as this may be construed as you relinquishing your plot. You were right not to accept the monies returned until this can be resolved too. See if you can;t get some evidence of said payment, either a photo of the entry in the book, or a receipt which they should really give you for payment - otherwise how do you prove their is a rental agreement in place?!

[Bohobumble]

Taking the situation presented at face value; by trying to return the money and attempting to void a legal contract, the secretary isn't really acting to his word that he 'doesn't want to take sides'.

If a secretary really doesn't want to take sides then due process should be followed whether or not he is feeling under pressure from another committee member, his fellow committee member is being unfair to him if this is indeed the case, perhaps he should be seeking support from the wider committee/the council to resolve this amicably.

[bearded bloke]

Thanks all for your input before any other comments are made I think it would be prudent to wait for OP's response to those made thus far.

[Snadger]

May I just say, as Secretary for our site, that we don't send out reminder letters when rent is due. We do post a notice on the allotment gates though. We also have problems with plot holders not returning their keys though and this year have instigated a £20 returnable fee for the main gate key because so many keys are still in circulation from previous tennants.
Also, because the Committe are unpaid representatives and rarely at the site all at the same time unless there is a Committee meeting, mistakes are inevitable.
Our final payment date is 4th April this year. If rents haven't been paid by then (considering the AGM was on 7th March when the rents became due, so they've had a month to pay, the plot could conceivably be re-let.
After reading this thread and in fairness, I may send the non payers a letter giving them a week to pay.

It must be remembered that site leases (the lease of the whole site from the council.) are timed to coincide with when the individual rents are collected. Working on a tight budget like ours could mean we don't have enough to pay the council if rents aren't collected promptly.
I still couldn't condone detaining anyone against their will.