Allotment rents in Hyndburn

[Neil]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Maybe the purpose of the increase is to have them become vacant and sell the land for development.

The waiting list is so big in Hyndburn I think they will always find someone who will want one.

£200 a year is less than £4 a week, thats less than a packet of cigarettes

I think that if they had not frozen the rents for ten years, a mistake I think, that the increase from £39 to £200 would equate to about 17.7% each year for the 10 years. That is a high yearly increase.

[cashman]

Seems possible to me,that the £39 rent was so cheap,some tenants didn't give a toss? To me a person should only be able to rent, if n allotment is in a reasonable state, Which is down to H.B.C. When they rent em out, How difficult must it be,to have a signed agreement, that the tenant is liable fer the upkeep?The rise to £200 is much to steep n people should not suffer fer incompetence.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by cashman

Seems possible to me,that the £39 rent was so cheap,some tenants didn't give a toss? To me a person should only be able to rent, if n allotment is in a reasonable state, Which is down to H.B.C. When they rent em out, How difficult must it be,to have a signed agreement, that the tenant is liable fer the upkeep?The rise to £200 is much to steep n people should not suffer fer incompetence.

It still boils down to the fact, What has Hyndburn ever done on those allotments, when they claim each one costs 240 a year to run, or is that to pay the wages of a paper shuffler.
Some bodies telling Porkies.
Retlaw.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

It still boils down to the fact, What has Hyndburn ever done on those allotments, when they claim each one costs 240 a year to run, or is that to pay the wages of a paper shuffler.
Some bodies telling Porkies.
Retlaw.

Basically what i was alluding too.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by Neil

The waiting list is so big in Hyndburn I think they will always find someone who will want one.

£200 a year is less than £4 a week, thats less than a packet of cigarettes

I think that if they had not frozen the rents for ten years, a mistake I think, that the increase from £39 to £200 would equate to about 17.7% each year for the 10 years. That is a high yearly increase.

£200 a year, payable in one lump upfront, will remove from the list the families who really need an allotment.

Yuppies who can afford that usually have gardens at home where they can grow veg if they want to.

So I still say the waiting list will disappear.

[Neil]

We often walk our dog around the Heys allotments. When I took her out today a took a few photos. I have attached them along with a sample HBC allotment tenancy agreement I found online.

Here are a few bits from it under "THE Tenant agrees with the Council" section. If you look at the pictures you will see the Council are not enforcing the agreements and letting some tenants make the allotment site into an eyesore.

(3) To use the allotment garden as an allotment garden only and for no other purpose

(10) Not to bring any caravan on to the allotment site

(12) Small fires are permitted on the allotment plot for the purpose of burning rubbish.
However they must be contained within a small container and must not be left
unattended.

(13) Allotment plots must not be used for storage purposes other than for storing tools and materials normally used for maintaining an allotment. Large items of machinery or vehicles are not to be stored on the plots overnight. Allotment plots must only be used for cultivation and/or the keeping of poultry/rabbits (where applicable) only.

(16) Not to deposit or allow other persons to deposit on the allotment garden any refuse or any decaying matter (except manure and compost in such quantities as may be reasonably required for use in cultivation) or place any matter in the hedges ditches or dykes in the allotment field of which the allotment garden forms part or in adjoining land

(19) Not to keep any animals or livestock of any kind upon the allotment garden except hens or rabbits to the extent permitted by the Allotments Act 1950 Section 12.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Neil

We often walk our dog around the Heys allotments. When I took her out today a took a few photos. I have attached them along with a sample HBC allotment tenancy agreement I found online.

Here are a few bits from it under "THE Tenant agrees with the Council" section. If you look at the pictures you will see the Council are not enforcing the agreements and letting some tenants make the allotment site into an eyesore.

Which goes to prove my point, where has the magic figure of 240 quid per year come from, and what has the council ever done to justify that figure.
Retlaw

[MargaretR]

Those photographs do reveal that some neglect and breach of use is happening.
I have read also the downloadable guide to tenants
http://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/downloa...ders_guide.pdf

It states 'poultry' - which geese are - so the photo showing geese does not expose a breach, yet the sample tenancy agreement mentions only 'hens'. So the info from the council is ambiguous. Geese are useful 'watchdogs' against foxes, which are prevalent.

As for the caravans - sometimes they are used for overnight stays, so they should not be tolerated.

Some of those woodpiles are overlarge. Sometimes in summer it isn't possible to have my windows open due the allotment fires. I once complained when the fire was next to the path which separates the plots from our flats. I suggested that the fire be set at the opposite end of the plot - only to be told that the smoke would damage the plants.

[Neil]

If you read about fires it says small and in a container or something like that. On one allotment it looks like someone is getting ready to burn some old furniture and the damage caused by other can be seen. Maybe the increase in rent will pay for a full time officer who can start to address these problems.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Neil

If you read about fires it says small and in a container or something like that. On one allotment it looks like someone is getting ready to burn some old furniture and the damage caused by other can be seen. Maybe the increase in rent will pay for a full time officer who can start to address these problems.

Maybe it would, but the question is,Why aint they "EVER" checked on these tenancies, Money aint always been tight.

[Retlaw]

Maybe the increase in rent will pay for a full time officer who can start to address these problems.
Its not a full time officer we need its proper accounting. Just found out where some of those fancy figures for allotment costs have come from, projects that are not really anything to do with allotments, have been included in the figures, one of them is for 20 odd thousand quid spent on a car park, another is a bill for 550 quid, repair to a tap, why should the allotment tenants be loaded with idiotic spending like that, theres probably a lot more when the budget documents are finally revealed.
Retlaw