What would you do?

[Hans Mum]

I honestly don't think there is a hidden agenda to get rid of any sites, most are statutory allotment land so are covered by legistlation to protect them. Am sure most of you have seen the news today that councils across the country are reducing council tax benefit, closing libraries, leisure centres, etc and this is one of the way LCC are looking at reducing costs. I dont agree with it but thats the position, they have already announced they are closing 2 golf courses so we have to look at other ways of allotment management. At the moment a self managed site (which the majority of Leeds sites are) retain two thirds of the base rent and the council get the other third. But the council remain responsible for maintaining all perimeter fencing on all sites, management of all trees on the boundaries of all sites etc etc. Self managed sites manage everything internally such as water supply, grass cutting, site maintenance & security. I honestly dont think the rent will be £160 a year for a FULL plot but it will be increased which is why I've joined the cause to hopefully influence the outcome.

[veggiechicken]

I've emailed you BM with the document. Hope it works!!

[Hans Mum]

I don't know who the landlord is Sarah, I was brought up just across the road from the site and always thought it was council run. It was only when I spoke to someone at work today who has a plot there, that I found out it was privately run.

Which site is it BM ?

[SarzWix]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/11225580/ha...transcript.pdf

Try that BM

[Bigmallly]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/11225580/ha...transcript.pdf

Try that BM

Cheers Sarah...opened & saved.

[Bigmallly]

Which site is it BM ?

Top o' Fairway Hill.

[Aberdeenplotter]

AP - I cannot access the link without my PC closing everything down. Is it the same document as this one?....

http://a2q.co.uk/pdf/creport.pdf

No it isn't BM. That's the story of Alex Mullins who thought he had won a case against Eastleigh Council which was reversed on appeal. Summat to do with trying to resolve the issue in the small claims court but it didn't work.

[Newton]

The increase sounds extreme. Too much all at once I feel. But I do see that rents are too low generally. The cost of running the sites, water, security, tree management etc is not covered by hte rents charged. Certainly not on our site.

Our site is not statutory. It is worth at least £3m for housing. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed on all fronts that I will have my allotment for the future.

I currently pay £14 for my half plot.......I would grudgingly pay £100 or so to help the council balance it's allotment books.

I would also fight this particular extreme increase.

[Hans Mum]

Top o' Fairway Hill.

do you mean High Gipton South on right hand side as you go over roundabout? If so its Self Managed & belongs to council......as we are

[Aberdeenplotter]

No it isn't BM. That's the story of Alex Mullins who thought he had won a case against Eastleigh Council which was reversed on appeal. Summat to do with trying to resolve the issue in the small claims court but it didn't work.

Further to the above, Mr Mullins has sought and been granted the right to Judicial review. This was done late November and a date is awaited.

[SarzWix]

...But I do see that rents are too low generally. The cost of running the sites, water, security, tree management etc is not covered by the rents charged. Certainly not on our site.

Rent isn't supposed to cover all those things really. The point of them being a peppercorn rent is that they were a sop given to the people who were driven off the land when it was Enclosed. The people who ended up with the land and thus the wealth that went with it were supposed to subsidise those who no longer had any access to land. As time went on, they were intended to be used to supplement the meagre wages of the labourer/factory worker, and so still supposed to be subsidised by those who had the money/land. I don't think this has changed really - you don't often see people using an allotment who already own land. People yap on about how it's become a middle-class thing these days, but on our site I can only think of a couple of plot-holders that would fall into that category.

So where's the money to come from to pay for them? The same people who have always had the responsibility to subsidise allotments, the ones with the money... Preferably by adding a couple of higher bands onto the council tax.


(That was a party political broadcast by the SarzWix Common Sense and Fairness Party. It does not represent the views of the magazine or Aceville Publications.)

[bubblewrap]

We pay £28 (half rate) for a 300 square yard plot with running water & brown wheelie bins for "green waste only"
The brown bins are emptied fortnightly.
We lost our skip during winter and have to remove other waste ourselves

[bubblewrap]

One other suggestion can contact be made with one of the many "celebrity" gardeners? to highlight the problem?

Many other councils are using other methods to raise cash to make up for a shortfall due to Government cuts.

[Bigmallly]

do you mean High Gipton South on right hand side as you go over roundabout? If so its Self Managed & belongs to council......as we are

That's the one........If it's self managed but belongs to the council, how come he only pays £25/year for a full plot. I thought all LCC allotments were charged the same amount.........

[Newton]

Rent isn't supposed to cover all those things really. The point of them being a peppercorn rent is that they were a sop given to the people who were driven off the land when it was Enclosed. The people who ended up with the land and thus the wealth that went with it were supposed to subsidise those who no longer had any access to land. As time went on, they were intended to be used to supplement the meagre wages of the labourer/factory worker, and so still supposed to be subsidised by those who had the money/land. I don't think this has changed really - you don't often see people using an allotment who already own land. People yap on about how it's become a middle-class thing these days, but on our site I can only think of a couple of plot-holders that would fall into that category.

So where's the money to come from to pay for them? The same people who have always had the responsibility to subsidise allotments, the ones with the money... Preferably by adding a couple of higher bands onto the council tax.


(That was a party political broadcast by the SarzWix Common Sense and Fairness Party. It does not represent the views of the magazine or Aceville Publications.)

Some great points and interesting history there sarzWiz. I appreciate most of them. But today the rich landowner on our plot is the council. And they are cash and resource poor. So I hope they don't take extreme action like selling the family silver. They cannot afford to invest in the sites as they would like to and we would like them to.

We have a very "middle class site" located in an area where most houses are worth 250k to over a million. We have doctors, professors and many professionals as well as alotmenteers from all walks of life.

I like your idea of Subsidising plots for the less well off. Maybe this can now be done on a micro basis with higher rents which can be anonymously subsidised to those in need. Maybe on a voluntary basis through the National association and not the council.....

Interestingly everyone gets on with each other. Even us serfs get on famously with the upper class allotmenteers and they don't even expect us to dig over their plots or wash their rolls royces anymore.

We need 21st century thinking to manage our plots now. Us and us not them and us works for me. Let's use the past to help shape the future of our allotments.......and fight like mad to keep them on modern terms that make their management easier for the council so they don't take the route of selling them off!