Dear Allotmenteer
Last Thursday (Jan 12), the Allotment Advisory Group passed a motion recommending that the rent Allotment tenants should pay for council allotments will double in April 2013. The income the allotment office will receive from allotment rents will more than double.
This report will be presented to the City Council Cabinet for approval in February.
The 4 federation voting members abstained from voting as we were only sent the report the day before and didn't have time to consider or discuss its implications. The five councillors (Green, Labour and Lib Dem) voted en bloc in favour of acceptance of this report.
Our first concern is that allotment gardeners across the city will give up their plots due to this level of increase, some of these paying the full amount, some discounted.
If you or some gardeners on your site will be unable to continue due to this level of increase, please could you let me know. We have agreed to reply to the Allotment Advisory Group Chairman before the end of January.
Any further concerns will be discussed at a later date (in February).
Rob Hawkins
President, Sheffield Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Federation
I have uploaded the report to this site (well hopefully I have as I
really have little clue what I just did LOL):
www.wix.com/mc55mcd/duckdinnerdash
wow it worked :) :)
ReplyDeleteCouncils are feeling the squeeze on their budget - but allotment holders are too! What justification can there be for above inflation???
ReplyDeleteThe report appears to acknowledge that the Council is projecting for a profit from the allotment operation in the Financial Implications section. That's immoral considering the tremendous input that is required (in hours of work and cost of materials) in order to maintain a plot. It's a green tax - sick joke as it is a tax on being green, not one that encourages green practices.
hi Mal, when we went to the consultation they were showing stats saying that Sheffield was the cheapest bar one in North & West Yorkshire :(
ReplyDeleteUltimately they want us to move to self managed sites, so I think this is just the start of making it uncomfortable enough that it makes us want to take that step.
Is there anything we can do to fight these allotment rent increases? I t may force many to give them up!
ReplyDelete