Badger your council

[mrdinkle]

That's what I have been doing

Anyhow, latest response is below - I will be chasing them up every so often so that they do not forget us!

I suppose we could do a FOI request and help them identify suitable land?

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your e-mail of the 8th March 2009.

I can confirm that the Council intends looking for suitable surplus land
for converting into allotments sites. This matter is in its very
earliest stages and I am unable to inform you of sites which might
convert to allotments at present.

I hope this answers your query.

Regards

Environment Directorate

[Eyren]

Good work, Mr D - fingers crossed they turn intentions into actions! Pressure does work, though. Our local Transition group presented a petition to the council and got a very positive response; at a council meeting soon afterwards the following motion was passed unanimously:

The Council calls on the Executive Councillor for Arts and Recreation to bring forward a report to the Community Services Scrutiny Committee which:
* establishes how many allotments are required to provide for the needs of present residents
* identifies land that can be made available to let as allotments to fill this need
* considers whether the potential number of allotments required in the new development areas is adequate for new residents and makes proposals to address any shortfall
* sets out proposals to ensure that all allotments have basic facilities, including water and onsite toilets, including a clear timetable and financial implications

Can't say fairer than that! Now, it's possible that this would have happened anyway, even if the petition hadn't been organised, but who knows...?

[mrdinkle]

Some people think that asking your council to do something is kinda out of their remit. The way I see it is - nothing ventured nothing gained. I won't make a pain of myself, but I think everyone should be entitled to ask for stuff like this as it is of benefit to communities.

Glad to hear of your success! Hopefully a little polite pressure and some media coverage from the likes of HFW (can't decide if I like him) will do good for more communities.

[Eyren]

Some people think that asking your council to do something is kinda out of their remit. The way I see it is - nothing ventured nothing gained. I won't make a pain of myself, but I think everyone should be entitled to ask for stuff like this as it is of benefit to communities.

Not just that - as I've said on another thread, provision of allotments is one of the few statutory duties laid on councils. In other words they are legally obliged to provide sufficient allotments to meet local demand. All that's lacking is the gumption to demand them

Glad to hear of your success! Hopefully a little polite pressure and some media coverage from the likes of HFW (can't decide if I like him) will do good for more communities.

I can't claim any credit for the success, I hasten to add! But a lot of British towns do now have Transition groups who are looking at positive ways to improve the sustainability of their local communities, and allotments form an important part of that strategy. I'm not an activist type by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe in the old saying "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem", so I'm supporting my local transition group in small ways, like helping out with the email newsletter. As a certain supermarket says, "every little helps"!

[lez]

I am with you all and all the way. our town council are trying to evoke new laws and rules but at a local meeting of the council to discuss allotments, were put on the back foot as they had sold some allotment ground for housing, and included in this, was a clause, 106, of some act I am not sure, (unbekowns to us a clever bloke there who was only interested in how the council worked so wanted to see a meeting) the local town council have inherited this from the borough council who have not invoked this clause on the builder. now we are all saying come get your act together and where is the land. I am so pleased that everyone has stood up and said NO to the new regime. many will just roll over and let it happen around them. I cannot agree with violence etc however sometimes you have get in some ones face to make them realise that they are playing with fire,forget 'we are the council so we do as we please' hang a mo I have news for you. you were voted in and can be soon voted out aswell. also you are not my ward so lay off and let me talk to my person. keep up the fight allive literally) let them no there is a voice out there and it shouts. PS The two councillors who are I believe the main instigators of the new proposals were not available on the night, on holiday they were, oh really. I have drawn my own conclusions from this and leave all to draw thier own.

[Cambuslang Allotment Foru]

Your council quote is almost identical to ours! However, every piece of land we identify the council claim to have earmarked for development. We have lots of support from local councillors (well that is politically correct at the moment) but nothing is actually happening.

We have a 33 year waiting list and nobody is doing anything to change the situation. It is so frustrating.
Margaret
Cambuslang Allotment Forum

[blackkitty]

Margaret
I would suggest getting as many people as you can to write to the council and all those standing for election in June, its probably a good time to remind them what their jobs involve.

[NOG]

Not just that - as I've said on another thread, provision of allotments is one of the few statutory duties laid on councils. In other words they are legally obliged to provide sufficient allotments to meet local demand. All that's lacking is the gumption to demand them

Can you quote the act that says this.

The only obligation I can see on Local Authoritys is that if there are NO allotments in the area and six people request them there is an obligation to provide them....but not a obligation to provide allotments for everyone that wants one.t

[Noodles]

I don't believe they are actually obliged to provide them, but they are obliged to look into finding new land for allotments if 6 or more people request it.

[BarleySugar]

As our contact at the council said 'there are a lot of things we are supposed to do, but if there are no consequences to not doing them, then....'
He has said the council would rent the land for us, then rent it back at a peppercorn rent to the allotment society, but no land can be found, so it doesn't help much.

[geoff]

Councils are usually inefficient, and not much interested in allotments anyway
Have a look around existing allotments in your area, and get chatting to the plotholders; they will know of plots that have been vacant for ages and are possibly missing off the council records. Then go back to the council with that information
If you stress to the council that you are willing to take on a neglected plot that sometimes helps; they might even let you off the first years's rent