Selfsufficientish.com

I've just written to my council asking why there's a 2.5 year waiting list for allotments, since the 1908 Small holdings and Allotments Act clearly states a responsibility on the part of the council to provide sufficient allotments.

I don't particularly expect it to make a great deal of difference, but I figure if enough people complain it might result in something, eventually, being done.

Just wondering whether anyone else has tried this and what their council managed to come up with as a response?

from the Ex-town councillor looking over my shoulder:
if 6 people sign a demand for allotments (not the same adress), the PARISH-council are legally obliged to provide allotments... apparently it's their only legal obligation. also according to him they will try to ignore it, so it's worth making a crusade over!
Hope that helps

wolfsong wrote:if 6 people sign a demand for allotments (not the same adress), the PARISH-council are legally obliged to provide allotments.

Yeah - but does it say what time span they are allowed to provide the allotments in? If it doesn't, they can always say - well, you'll get your allotment, if you'd only wait the 2.5 years...

I am going to make a mini-crusade over it, I have decided! I've had absolutely no response to my email asking what they are doing to follow the requirements of the act, and the other couple of times I've emailed them about bits and bobs I've had a response in a few hours or less.

Might see if I can get the local paper interested if they're not already aware, and see if we can achieve something.

I'm sure I can rustle up 6 people to demand an allotment - if the waiting list's 2.5 years, it can't be that hard to find half a dozen people prepared to make a formal demand of the council!

Anyone got any more tips? Or had any joy quoting the act at the council?

it seems the only REAL way of getting to the council is to find a friendly councillor and suck up to them. Most of them are there for the people they get elected by, so have a look at a list, Green councillors are a good start, Lib Dems can be sympathetic...
Frankly, providing allotments is a very important part of their jobs, yet rarely appears on a manifesto.
Once you get hold of a councillor, come armed with a well-studied list of possible sites. Unless you live in the City of London, there shouldn't be to much trouble finding a bit of scrubland (that has decent soil of course!!!).

I quoted it at the leader of our council a couple of years ago, at first he denied it totally and said I was mistaken and then when I showed him a link to the legislation he asked if I would like him to make cuts in to provide for a minority. My blood was boiling a bit by then so I let it be and as I was then offered a plot a few days later (total coincidence as it wasn't a council plot) I sort of let it lie which was probably a bad thing really with hindsight.

Not actually quoted the Act but I have tried to re-open some old allotments. I started last october and i'm still waiting for the council to make their decision! I have 19 other people that are interested in having a plot,all local to where the allotments are(all within walking distance)but have been told that the local people will probably not get a plot if they are re-opened-they will be given to folks from a few miles away.

So why do I bother?

This website has resources for anyone wanting to campaign for more allotments in their area -

http://www.allotmoreallotments.org.uk/

nellie.b wrote:Not actually quoted the Act but I have tried to re-open some old allotments. I started last october and i'm still waiting for the council to make their decision! I have 19 other people that are interested in having a plot,all local to where the allotments are(all within walking distance)but have been told that the local people will probably not get a plot if they are re-opened-they will be given to folks from a few miles away.

What's their argument for that? Sounds plain daft to me... They should encourage people saving energy, not giving preference to folk who need to use the car to get to their plots.