Public Liability Insurance

[Soomai]

Hi All,

Hoping you maybe able to help us. Our local Allotment Association has been informed by the Parish Council that all of their members with buildings (sheds & greenhouses) must have Public Liability Insurance...... to ensure the thieves who cut themselves while breaking into the buildings can make an insurance claim against us and not the council!!!

I've emailed the National Society for Allotments and Gardens to see if they can advise how and where we obtain Public Liaibility Insurance, but unfortunately have not heard back from them yet.

Does anyone else on this Forum require this insurance? If so any tips on how to obtain this type of insurance?

Thanks

[rustylady]

They are having a laugh, aren't they? If not, then surely your site representative could arrange something as part of your allotment rent. My understanding of public liability insurance was that you only needed it if you were running a business, but they do keep moving the goalposts.

[starwatcher]

yes your site does need public liability insurance your parish council should be able to advise you on how you go about getting cover. it is not just about the local scum injuring themselves but a plot holder could sue the association if they have an accident on site, hey=ho thats todays society for you it's always somone elses fault.

[Soomai]

Thanks for your replies.

Unfortunately the Parish Council cannot help as they do not know either. Our local Parish Manager also heads up our Association. I volunteered to try and find out how we get this insurance.

I'll have to do some more surfing.

[Seahorse]

Possibly (hopefully!) paranoia but I've heard of this sort of nonsense going on when a site is ripe for development (the potential consequence being, of course, that the site will be all but abandoned). Are you in an area where that might be an issue?

[bluemoon]

We don't have to have this for sheds and things, but we did think it would be a good idea if we could get a communal skip, perhaps with members chipping in for its rental and we were told that for this we would need the insurance. Not only that, but a person (rather than the association) would have to be 'named' on the policy as being the person responsible, meaning that had we gone through with the plan someone would have had to accept all responsibility should something have gone wrong and we had ended up being sued. Our secretary didn't feel that this was something he was happy with and although a couple of members said that they would do it instead of him, in the end the secretary vetoed the plan

[Soomai]

Hi Seahorse, we're in Milton Keynes. Within the Gt Linford Parish there is 5 allotment sites. I'm sure it's not down to development as new allotments are springing up in different Parishes and there's still plenty of land around MK to develop and that is being developed.

I am surprised that it does appear not many sites require this insurance. I thought when we first told that it was only a matter time that they'll insist we have it. What with this "sue" culture that we are now all living in.

I've had a very prompt reply from the Insurance Broker linked with the NSALG and he recommends taking out insurance as an association to keep costs low.

[Gwyndy]

We too have this same problem. We were told last year by the council that they do not provide any public liability insurance. One or two of us are concerned about the possible financial consequences of someone breaking in to the site, injuring themselves, and then taking legal action against an individual. There seem to be more rights for toe-rags than honest people these days!!

One of the allotment holders has contacted the NSALG and has been given this e-mail address: richardchurch@newspaceinsurance.co.uk

For individual members the cost would seem to be about £50 pa. I'm sure that a local authority could negotiate a much lower price and offer it to tenants as an option.

[Shortie]

Hi Twosheds, just tried to pm you but your account says it won't accept pms?

[Soomai]

Hi Two Sheds - yes I got Richards contact details via the NSALG. He was extremely helpful. Also our local Parish have decided to arrange the insurance now based on Richard's quotation to us. Works out that it will add about £1.60 to our rent a year. Very reasonable for piece of mind.

[carlseawolf]

our insurance is paid by our association and is part of the rent but we also have a hazard assesment each year and have to sign a form to agree to the terms so the association gets cheaper insurance for this.
They also have past a rule where the commity can not be taken to court as individuals but only as the association .

[Percy T]

We too have to have public liability insurance and its is organised by our local allotments federation.

[Gwyndy]

I seem to have stirred up something of a hornet's nest locally - at least that's what our Allotment Association secretary told me last night!! Public Liability insurance has apparently been discussed by the local association and they (and the council - allegedly) have decided that we don't need it. (But the council will not openly state this as, of course, it would then leave them totally liable!!) They take the view that as our sites are fenced that anyone in there who shouldn't be and who gets injured has no legal right to claim against us!! I believe that this is utter rubbish!! Unfortunately the law doesn't work that way any more. We live in a very litigious society where even wrong-doers are readily compensated for injuries that they have sustained whilst breaking the law!! We also need to consider someone injuring themselves who has a perfect right to be on the allotment site.

Anyway, at least I seem to have stirred the local association in to reviewing the matter but I strongly suspect that complacency will rule!! So I continue to do my own research. Thanks for the comments - all very useful. I'll keep you posted on any good deals that I come across.

[carlseawolf]

if they won't do it then get some cover for yourself or a group can get together and try that way for a policy , it might shake your allotment assocation into doing something.

[robD]

We pay £1.75 of our Association membership fees for public liability insurance. Strikes me as being a necessary evil these days and a reasonable amount.