The Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood
Services submitted a report which gave an update on a recent
consultation with allotment holders within Reading, set out next
steps and proposals for the future management of allotment
sites.
The report explained that the Council was
undertaking a review of the current allotment management and
charging model in order to achieve an agreed budget saving to
support the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). However, the Council was conscious that
significant rent increases might impact badly
on some tenants who relied on the food that they grew on their
plots and for whose physical and mental wellbeing allotments
gardening was important, and had
therefore been considering ways to reduce costs without further
significant increases to those managing an allotment.
The report explained
that over
the past few years, the Council had been approached
by allotments tenants looking for more say in the management of
sites, faster turn-around times in letting vacant plots, and
different ways of delivering a range of allotments
services. A consultation with all tenants had been undertaken between 17
August 2020 and 17 September 2020 to gauge
tenants’ interest in and ability to form site associations
that could take on aspects of self-management, specifically
including site management, some grounds maintenance and waste
management. A total of 452 responses or
contacts had been received.
Section 6 of the report set out proposals for the
next steps which included:
- Starting work
with representatives on the seven sites that were interested in
self-management focusing identifying untended plots, resolving
whether these were available for re-letting, and issuing
offers. Site representatives to notify
the Council about which plots required notification to plot holders
about overgrown plots and meet prospective new tenants to show them
the plot and hand out keys once a contract has been exchanged. The
Council to retain administrative and invoicing
functions. Learning outcomes from these
seven sites would be recorded and used to inform the revised
Allotments Plan reported below.
- Groups like
Food4Families and horticultural societies to be engaged to support
tenant groups that wished to take on management and/or maintenance
tasks.
- The Council to
start immediately on a programme of clearances of unkempt plots as
well as other winter works, with these seven sites as a
priority. Additionally, the Council
would make bids for funding, if available, to make good site
infrastructure on those sites working towards self-management,
including fence replacement and road repairs.
- Regular reports
on occupancy ratios and re-letting turnover to be published on a
new allotments page on the website, demonstrating the improvements
that were possible with very limited tenant
involvement.
- Information about
self-management schemes and other issues of interest to allotment
holders would also be published on the website.
- The Council to
apply electronic payments and communication for all hired services
to allotment rental payments from January 2021, making allowances
for those tenants unable to make electronic payments.
- Fees, charges and
concessions to be reviewed and a new structure agreed for
implementation in January 2022.
- The Council to
draft a revised Allotments Plan during 2021-22, setting out the
longer-term objectives for the service, then circulate it for wider
consultation with tenants and elected Members. The Council would also seek additional personnel
for engagement with allotment tenants during the period during when
the Allotments Plan was being drawn up and consulted
on.
- The Allotments
Plan would be presented to a future meeting of the Housing,
Neighbourhoods and Leisure Committee to allow time to notify
tenants of any material changes to be applied when leases were
renewed in January 2022.
Resolved:
(1) That the report and the findings of the
consultation of tenants be noted;
(2) That the next steps as
shown in Section 6 of the report be noted;
(3) That an updated Allotments
Plan be created, be subject to public consultation and be reported
for approval to a future meeting of the Committee;
(4) That an annual Allotment
Plan progress report be submitted to the Housing, Neighbourhoods
and Leisure Committee at its Autumn meeting in 2021.