Self management

[muddled]

Hello all

Are you sitting comfortably?

My allotment is on a council site.
We pay a very high rent, £200 a year for a full plot.
The council has decided to remove concessions so elderly, disabled, people on low incomes and charity groups will have to pay full price.

For that princely sum the council do pretty much nothing.
No skips or rubbish collection from allotment sites ever.
No lighting.
No maintenance inside the site (they do, once every couple of years, trim the hedge where it overhangs the pavement outside).

They say they do plot inspections but no-one...NO-ONE...except the site rep has ever witnessed this (and we suspect that in fact, he sends the council a list of people he doesn't like and they receive through the post a threat of eviction if the plot is not up to scratch in 14 days)

We do have some facilities.
A toilet (but no-one tells you that or gives you a key...if you find out from other plot holders and ask him, the site rep will lend you his to get copied)
And, two years after getting a plot here, I have discovered there are three 'communal' areas...an old locked shop, a shipping container and a room of lockers...for storage but only the site rep and a few of his closest friends have access.

I (and some others) have tried to contact the site rep about this but he has not replied.
We tried approaching the council who told us in no uncertain terms that it's up to them and the site rep...we don't need to know...he can decide what to do with all the 'communal' storage areas.

Is anyone still with me?

So, I'm looking into self management.
A dozen or so of the other plotholders seem keen.
Quite a lot of the older generation are resigned to the status quo and likely won't want to rock any boats....also, we won't see them again before spring now and have no means to contact them.
Of course, the precious few with keys to communal areas and who socialise with the site rep will be against.

I've looked at the Nat Ass of allotments website and a few others but the info is a bit vague until you actually embark upon change.
The council website has not one single word on the subject.
I'm looking for the sort of information I can show to my fellow plotters to see if it is even worth starting!
And when the site rep and council shoot me down in flames I'd like to know in advance if we have any rights
Will we be able to do this if the site rep doesn't want to?

[Lisasbolt]

I know nothing of allotments but i wish you the best of luck

[alldigging]

In theory it's a great idea. Managing the site yourselves to the benefit of the site users.

Your council must have site rules at the moment - and if these mean everyone should have a key then you should push them to ensure their current rules are followed. To the letter. For everyone.

That's probably your first big fight.

But discuss it with the group and in theory you should be able to have much cheaper rents - but have to pay for any water /sewerage bills /repairs yourselves.

Do some research and chat. A lot.

People wanting cheaper rents and a better managed site will push it forward.

You could make enquiries at the council about it - first stage gentle enquiries.

[sparrow100]

Sounds tricky - are there any self-managed sites in your borough who you could talk to? Half ours are, so there is a precedent. Councils find it hard to argue against precedent, particularly if it's married with cost-saving. They would still incur costs for site security, but the cost-saving would be your association managing water bills, evictions, inspections, general maintenance etc. I'm a few boroughs over from you, but our rental is less than a third of yours, for more services which we organise ourselves.

In terms of setting up an allotment association, there's nothing the site rep can do to stop you - if you have open elections for the committee then there is very little argument they can come back with. However I'd be sure of numbers before kicking it off it's at all likely to become unpleasant. Allotments aren't a private fiefdom, but there are plenty of stories about officials treating them as such.

[skeggijon]

First of all form your own association - advice here Allotments Management – The National Allotment Society – National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd
I was involved many years ago in a 'self-manage takeover'. The council required that at least 75% of the plot holders agreed to us taking over the site and in return for that we had to make a single annual payment to the council and have public liability insurance.
We had 100% of the plotholders join the association and 100% agreement of the takeover.
All in all it took about a year to achieve, but it was well worth it.

[muddled]

In terms of setting up an allotment association, there's nothing the site rep can do to stop you - if you have open elections for the committee then there is very little argument they can come back with. However I'd be sure of numbers before kicking it off it's at all likely to become unpleasant. Allotments aren't a private fiefdom, but there are plenty of stories about officials treating them as such.

Thank you!
Yes I'm sure it will be unpleasant and I tried very hard to keep my head beneath the parapet for nearly two years. However, we have now reached a point of no return and I feel that if things don't change, I will have to leave.

I really don't want to leave.

I did try to make smaller, positive changes.

Dismayed by the angry tone of of notices the site rep puts up, another lady and I started a monthly newsletter. He refused to put them in the notice board (which requires his key)...

Organised a collection and subsequent floral tribute when a man who had a plot for over thirty years died. He told people he was contributing...but didn't.

Anyway, nasty we already have.
So, onwards and upwards! I'm thinking the way to go initially will be to campaign for an allotment association/commitee with a view to site improvements and social events.
Then, if enough people maintain a level of comitment and can get along, take it from there.

Does that sound feasible?

[Clayman]

Contact your local MP, I contacted my local couuncil and councillor about a couple of complaints and they were useless, contacted my local MP and miraculously they got sorted out within a week, turns out she doesn't like the way the council is ran or the councillor. They were unrelated to allotments but she got the job done so I'd give your local MP a try, also your local council will have a complaints procedure so if everyone complains about their attitude and the site rep they'd take note and in your complaint throw in your going to take this to the local media. Just give them a load of old flannel, couple years back the bin men out of laziness wouldn't empty half a dozen bins unless they were brought to the end of the road, apart from me they were all oaps so I phoned the council said all the oaps were going to refuse to pay their council tax, a lie but the next day a council official was at my door to apologize and the bins are always emptied and put back at the gate of each house. You get nowhere playing the rules so play by their underhanded rules.

[Hans Mum]

Speak to your local NSALG representative, contact list here
Contact your Regional Rep – The National Allotment Society – National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd

Have a conversation they are brilliant at helping folks through this kind of thing.

Its not that complicated ......but you do need to have a committed group of people.

[bario1]

If there isn't already an allotment association, then who elected the site rep?

[vixylix]

Sounds like a brilliant idea to deal with your situation - I wish you the best of luck!