Allotment Committee Duties

[Sheneval]

Since joining the Committee last year I have made a point of speaking to many if not all of the plot holders - sometimes to suggest they put something right rather than reporting it for a letter to be sent - this has always been well received and I remain on good conditions with all of them - on occasion they have mentioned something that needs Committee attention and I have raised the matter at the next monthly Committee meeting.

Last week I received an email from a plot holder listing a number of items he wished to be raised at the next meeting. I forwarded a copy of the points raised to the Secretary to be included in the Agenda in order that the Committee members would have prior notice to enable them to consider before the meeting.

At the meeting I received what can only be described as a vociferous verbal reprimand for not advising the sender to submit the list through directly to the Committee.

Needless to say as there were 3 ladies present I was restrained and refrained from telling the Chairman to ......- well you know the format.

I am pretty certain after I joined the Committee I saw an article on Best Practice for Allotment Committee Members and Representatives which indicated that these had a duty to communicate with members and covey their suggestions/complaints at the meetings.

Does any one have any knowledge or advice on this issue as I have no intention of stopping my normal method of dealing with fellow plot holders and would deem it impolite not to mention a dereliction of the duties I have taken on, to tell them they had to communicate through 'proper channels'

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[bearded bloke]

No idea about allotment committees bud,but in life in general the rule to follow would be ... do the best job you can with the tools available

[Veggielot]

I can't tell you if there are set rules for this. However speaking as an ordinary plot holder I would have thought asking a committee member would be sufficient. I also think that forwarding the e-mail to the commitee would have been more than enough.

Perhaps he doesn't like having the extra work. If they insist of having it raised 'officially' then when you get more then just tell them that you have been told they have to raise directly but you are happy to discuss it on there behalf at the meeting.

[binley100]

Hangon a minute....you're a member of the committee aren't you ? So he has submitted it to the committee then ......wtf is he on about.? What an officious @hole

[Sheneval]

Hangon a minute....you're a member of the committee aren't you ? So he has submitted it to the committee then ......wtf is he on about.? What an officious @hole

Bins I won't do it of course, but I am extremely tempted to pass on your comments

[Hazel at the Hill]

I can't see the problem here - as a plotholder, I treat the committee as one entity - if I have something to raise, I'd raise it with whichever committee member I saw first.

I can't see what the plotholder has done wrong - he has sent an email directly to the committee (i.e. you) - and certainly can't see what you have done to offend.

Is the point that a plotholder should send any emails directly to the Secretary for him to raise on the agenda as he sees fit? If so (and you are surrounded by a bunch of inflexible jobsworths), I suggest that you forward any further emails directly to the Secretary and take a copy along to the next committee meeting to raise under 'any other business'.

It's a nonsense though - as you point out, by sending to all committee members prior to the meeting, most (if not all) the points raised can be discussed and dealt with on the spot, rather than raised in AOB for consideration at the subsequent meeting.

[binley100]

Bins I won't do it of course, but I am extremely tempted to pass on your comments

Feel free to pass them on , wouldn't bother me at all.... and if he would like to see how a fair committee does things he's welcome to pay us a visit ..

[Sheneval]

Hazel - These people have ruled the site for the last 5 years since it was set up -
my friend Jim asked me to join the Committee because he was a lone voice in the wilderness - they do have the occasional work party but basically Jim was left to do, not all, the majority of the other work on site.

Their method of site Management is to send out letter advising people they have broken some petty rule or other - they offer nothing and up until now have used the Council for their excuse for anything they don't want on the site like sheds - that has know been broken following my investigation into the way Councils are supposed to treat allotment holders and they can no longer hide behind the Council Rules so they are furious and this was their first chance to have a go at me for upsetting their little game.

They are on the way out and they know it -I have friends all over the site and I believe I can rely on at least 12 votes and perhaps a few more at the AGM to force through things that the plot holders want such as sheds and greenhouses or poly tunnels and the right to decent size plots as plots fall vacant - a full plot is 150sqm but there are only 7 or 9 that come anyway near this all the others are either half or quarter that size. This suits many of the incomers who come and go year by year but is no use for the serious growers.

I should have put this on the rant thread

[binley100]

Sounds like its time to stand up and be counted Sheneval ...Am hoping the committee gets voted in at AGM. Think you need to stand as secretary ....
Our site used to be run by a family orientated dictatorship until one guy took them on at an EGM even put up with threats.. Guy won and our site has never looked back.we've gone from strengh to strengh completely changing the whole atmosphere . We still have the odd problem here and there with some things but its dealt with in a proper manner

[Tripmeup]

And breathe Shen...

[alldigging]

Their method of site Management is to send out letter advising people they have broken some petty rule or other - they offer nothing and up until now have used the Council for their excuse for anything they don't want on the site like sheds - that has know been broken following my investigation into the way Councils are supposed to treat allotment holders and they can no longer hide behind the Council Rules so they are furious and this was their first chance to have a go at me for upsetting their little game.

So do you have your council's official rules and any relating directly to your site (Possibly things in planning permission which may mean you can't have sheds, or sheds bigger than a set size.)

[Bill HH]

Having read all the above I have come to realise I could never be an allotment holder, I dont know how you put up with these corrupt and inept committees. I would be expelled in the first week I think.
The shed thing (including Green Houses and poly tunnels) would be the first thing to get me going, an allotment isnt an allotment without its sheds.

[Dorothy rouse]

Just read all of this, can't believe it, just ridiculas, the plot holder was following the correct procedure, but sounds as if from what you say they are aware that they 'on their way out', but one wonders why they want to be part of the Committee anyway. You are your fellow plot holder mates, maybe need to all turn up at the next meeting and get rid of them! ( is that possible).

No sheds, no polytunnels, greenhouses, ridiculas,they're allotments for goodness sake.

Ours are almost the opposite, which equally is not always the best thing!

Yep you to plan a 'takeover', we'll all come to back you up!

[Snadger]

Our members wouldn't know what an email was!

Because of all the rules and regulations we had empty plots and the rents had to go up to cover cost of unused plots every year.
We now have all plots let, are more relaxed about the rules and plot rents have been held for the last four years.
We also have a healthy waiting list because we don't get too anal about regulations.

At one time we had a twelve page document of rules and regulations imposed on us from the Council, to which we added another four page document of our own rules!

I go to the allotment for relaxation, comaradery and just now and again, to do a bit of gardening!

PS I'm not an anarchist, but howay man!

[Sheneval]

So do you have your council's official rules and any relating directly to your site (Possibly things in planning permission which may mean you can't have sheds, or sheds bigger than a set size.)

Up until now any applicant was advised to apply for Planning Permission at a cost of just under £200 and individual plot holders thought this was too much and did not progress further - I investigated this via this site and found that a Council in England had been taken to Court and it was ruled the Council were using this as a 'cash cow' and had to stop - there was also a story that our local council adjacent to us doing the same thing had been told they were facing a legal challenge and decided to drop the PP ruling. I advised our Committee of these findings and lo and behold all of a sudden our Council's website now just asks a letter of application with no PP required - however the Council now refer the application to the Committee for their views and this will now be decided at the next AGM - we seem to have no rule on calling an EGM.

Even without PP I would expect rules on shed sizes and locations as our plots are too small to have anything substantial.