Allotments

[gynn]

It seems there was quite a rumpus at last night's Council meeting over proposals to raise allotment rents. Many allotment holders were present at the meeting to voice their concerns.

In my day, allotments were seen as a valuable service that the local authority provided to its citizens, especially in a town like Accrington with its plethora of grid iron streets with back yards rather than gardens. When I worked for the Council, I never remember there being a great deal of discussion over the annual increases, which were never very great, partly because they were written into long term agreements, but also partly because the Council recognised the value to the wellbeing of the community. The allotments were aleays run at a deficit, but this cost to the Council taxpayer was always seen as reasonable.

I suppose times have changed, and the council of today is not the Council of 20 years ago. Massive cuts in funding have made it review everything it does. And compared to other pressing demands, allotment subsidies have to be considered.

The Observer reporter suggests that the sort of increase we are talking about is from 25 pounds plus water to around 200 pounds. My sympathies go out to those allotment holders who can't afford those sorts of increases, and who have tended their allotments for years to see the fruits of their labours perhaps about to be taken from them.

I just hope there were no allotment holders shouting their mouths off at last nights meeting who, while supporting the Coalition Government's efforts to reduce public spending, could actually put their hands on their hearts and say they could easily afford such an increase.

That would be hypocrisy of the first order.

[Benipete]

Are you a civil servant?

[gynn]

Originally Posted by Benipete

Are you a civil servant?

No a Realist.

[accyman]

i suppose it could be worse at least they havnt built a mosque over them


when i lived up spring hill area an old man tended his alotment each day without fail rain or shine.He had given up planting food but switched to flowers and to be frank about it the sight was a little oasis from the view from my back room window and i hope any increases dont effect people liek him so badly that these nice alotments end up been over run and home to fly tipping and asda trollys because they can no longer afford the rents on them.

[wallop79]

Posted in Nightlife, days out etc, by Dusty: Baxenden Allotments & Gardens Society are holding a meeting at 8pm, Tuesday 24 Jan; Bash Con Club - up manchester road.
It's hoped reps from the NAALG and HBC will attend.
The meeting is open to any allotment holder or interested party.
We hope that at least 1 rep from each of the Hyndburn allotment sites will be able to come along. We need to work together on this.
Stephen Lowe (Radio Lanc's), was at the council meeting last night when Cllr Marlene Howarth put forward a motion to recind the rent rises. He's going to feature an article about the issue on his radio programme this sunday

[wallop79]

Bloody disgusting what HBC are planning to do with the rent rises, especially after being told about some of the wastages of tax payers money by HBC last year out of the allotment money allocation, £500+ on a tap repair, £21,000 on a carpark! How dare they treat us citizens like this, a lot of allotment owners are pensioners, hardly paid a vast amount on state pensions, what about the health & wellbeing, as I bet a fair few have been advised of the health benefits of light exercise & fresh air when tending to their allotments, back off HBC what you are proposing to do is surely illegal, but not just that when this gets contested in court yet more of our money will be wasted by HBC on court costs etc.

[gynn]

Originally Posted by wallop79

Baxenden Allotments & Gardens Society are holding a meeting at 8pm, Tuesday 24 Jan; Bash Con Club - up manchester road.

Bash Con Club? Do me a favour.

I think you've shot yourself in the foot before the campaign gets off the ground.

How many members of Bash Conservative Club fall into the category of 'needy Hyndburn citizen deserving special subsidy from the Counciltaxpayer?'

[MargaretR]

This article in The Telegraph last year explains that when waiting lists are long, councils should provide more by buying land for it.

Councils exploit legal loophole to get out of providing allotments - Telegraph
extract -
"Under the 1908 Allotments and Small Holdings Act councils have a duty to provide land if six people or more request an allotment. Should none be available the authorities are required to force private landowners to free up space.

But Donna McDaid of NSALG said there is no time limit on how long councils can claim they are actively "looking for land" and some say they have searching for up to eight years.

She said this preventing campaigners from using the law to force councils to provide allotments because officials claim they are still looking for an appropriate site.

If people are asking for allotments then councils have to look for land, but a lot are just saying they are looking and we can do nothing about it because there is no time frame," she said. "I think they are probably exploiting a legal loophole."

In the face of this dilemma it seems that the council wish to reduce, or even abolish, the waiting list by making allotments unaffordable for most people.

[cashman]

Originally Posted by gynn

Bash Con Club? Do me a favour.

I think you've shot yourself in the foot before the campaign gets off the ground.

How many members of Bash Conservative Club fall into the category of 'needy Hyndburn citizen deserving special subsidy from the Counciltaxpayer?'

Think its a good place fer a venue meself gynn,theres loads of allotments up that way, so handy fer many to attend.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by gynn

Bash Con Club? Do me a favour.

I think you've shot yourself in the foot before the campaign gets off the ground.

How many members of Bash Conservative Club fall into the category of 'needy Hyndburn citizen deserving special subsidy from the Counciltaxpayer?'

It is just a location not an example of the allotment holders.

[gynn]

Originally Posted by Neil

It is just a location not an example of the allotment holders.

Okay, point taken. Just as long as the allotment holders who attend would all struggle if the allotment rents rise.

And aren't the sort of people who could easily afford it.

[Less]

Originally Posted by gynn

Okay, point taken. Just as long as the allotment holders who attend would all struggle if the allotment rents rise.

And aren't the sort of people who could easily afford it.

Rather a high and mighty rule that!

How are you going to impose it?

Means test everyone at the door?

Demand that everyone entering must supply a recent bank statement?

Ever heard of the term divide and conquer? You're putting a wedge between all allotment holders before the meeting has taken place, may I suggest that you hold the meeting and democratically discuss the problem with all of them?

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by gynn

Bash Con Club? Do me a favour.

I think you've shot yourself in the foot before the campaign gets off the ground.

How many members of Bash Conservative Club fall into the category of 'needy Hyndburn citizen deserving special subsidy from the Counciltaxpayer?'

Well you've come out with some pearlers gynn but this does take the biscuit, this meeting is being organised by Bash allotments association, where do you suggest they hold the meeting, I might add that because it says Con Club over the door doesn't mean its frequented by wealthy Toffs (as Mancie puts it) but you'll find most are ordinary working people.

[gynn]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Well you've come out with some pearlers gynn but this does take the biscuit, this meeting is being organised by Bash allotments association, where do you suggest they hold the meeting, I might add that because it says Con Club over the door doesn't mean its frequented by wealthy Toffs (as Mancie puts it) but you'll find most are ordinary working people.

Its a simple point. The Council has got no money. It has to take some very difficult decisions, and one decision they are making is to make the allotments self financing. If that is going to cause hardship to some people, then it is right that they fight it.

If the loudest noises are being made by people who CAN afford the rent increase, then they should realise the reality of the situation.

Its not divide and rule. Its asking people to put their hands on their hearts and be realistic in the current financial climate.

[Less]

Originally Posted by gynn

Its not divide and rule. Its asking people to put their hands on their hearts and be realistic in the current financial climate.

Don't talk wet, the first thing surely is to get all interested parties (of whatever financial means), together to decide what can be done, whom is going to decide which individuals are needy? Obviously not you, so until they have had their meeting you can't go spouting off about which people should attend the meeting.