Topic: Annual Subs & facilities

[SnooziSuzi]

Hi all,

as the secretary for our association I am interested to find out a bit more about other allotment sites nationally and the going rate for these.  This is because we need to have some work done on our plots for repairing roadways / fencing etc but don't have enough cash in the coffers to do this.

On our site we pay £16 annually and this includes a fenced off plot (12m x 19m) and unlimited but metered water.  We would like to raise the rental to a more reasonable amount, because the cost of the water rates takes up most of the income every year so that we can afford to properly maintain the site.

How much is the going rate for a plot in your area and what do you get for that?

[manicscousers]

this'll make you laugh, suzi
we pay 25.00 rent to the club, per year, 25.00 per year to our allotment society
for this, we get manure as and when we can get it on site, lime, seaweed meal is supplied, we now have an 8' fence around, everywhere is as secure as we can make it, we now have a generator, a communal shed with cooker, lights and heater in it, water is supplied
we are in the process of trying for a grant for a communal polytunnel
there are only 9 and a half plots at the mo, we've plans for another 2 and a raised bed area for our less able friends
i think ours is one of the most expensive sites as we have to be club members as well, at 10.00 per person per year
still, it's cheaper than a gym membership  ;D

[SMP1704]

Suzi - I am also Secretary for the newly formed (today) allotment association so was wondering the same questions as you - can we share the thread?

We pay £48.00 to the council and I was wondering asking £10 subs for the Association. 

The council provides a key and unlimited, unmetered water and that's it - well it was till we formed an association..........watch this space.  If you look at the thread about EU funding for hedges you will see the pictures of the current state of our fence.....that's the primary reason for the association.

Suzi you mentioned plots being individually fenced.  I have never seen that, usually just divided by grass or concrete paths.

[SnooziSuzi]

Hi Sharon,  no probs with sharing the thread  ;D

Most of the plots around here are individually fenced, and so were the ones that my Grandad had years ago in a different county, so I just assumed that it was the same all round and that the non-fenced variety were the exception!

Congrats on forming your association - now you've just got a mountain of paperwork ahead of you!  ;) 

Manics,  I was hoping to be able to raise an amount similar to what you are paying, but I know I'll get objections from the long-served allotmenteers because it would be a 100% rise in subs, even if that was less than £1 a week for a year!  it just seems daft that they all want top notch facilities paying bottom dollar subs!  ;D

If (when) I get my lottery win I'll buy a feild and set up some lotties and provide sheds and greenhouses for everyone and they can come and enjoy the countryside for pennies a week, but until then I'm stuck with what we have got!

[saddad]

We are a private site but have flushing toilets! and water, stoned avenues etc... I finally managed to push through a rent rise from £10 to £15 pa...
The city average is £48... (Derby)
 ::)

[SMP1704]

Stoned avenues - I was going to say "that's posh" but then images of skiffy paths popped into my head - OK I'm going now

What can I say - We're going on hols tomorrow ;D ;D

[OliveOil]

First time we have paid but as the landlord isnt taking rent we have paid £5 as membership to our society which includes membership to the NAA then £50 towards our fighting fund - this will be used for a land lawyer or if the landlord wants rent then it may go towards that... still unsure what is happening as its all gone quiet.

We have no water - though most plots have wells.

Its interesting our all our allotments are run differently isnt it!

[Mrs Ava]

We pay £3 per year, but there is nothing on site.  No water or security.  We are in a rural area so security has never been too much of a problem although the deer are the biggest vandals.  You cannot drive onto our site, but it is only a small site so it isn't to much of a problem.

[gtm41658]

We pay £32 per 8 pole plot to the council.....security is not to bad, unlimited water but nothing else..we also pay £3 per year Allotemt association membership...this gives us access to some larger tools if we need them...i.e. large mowers, rotavators etc and 10% discount at two garden centres locally.
We have too look after the paths between plots but the roadway around the site is presently grassed and cut by the council...we have heard that the council are due to hardcore the road ...we'll see!!

[mc55]

we pay nearly £20 rent to the council and nearly £20 for water each year.  The whole site is enclosed (almost) and keys are £2.50.  Costs £2.75 to join the association and use the shop.  We get wood chippings dropped in the car park for free and logs appear every now and then.  We once had a manure drop from the local animal park.  Our plots are each enclosed with a privet hedge which the council cut twice a year (the bits along the avenues). 

The avenues between our lotties are full of blackberries and raspberries which are free  :D

[Trevor_D]

We aren't council-owned, but are self-governing (& self-financing). A full-size 10 pole plot costs £20 (plus an annual rise in line with inflation, so it's currently something like £22 or £23). There's also a one-off charge totalling £11 when you join: £5 registration fee, £5 for the key & £1 for a share, as we are a limited liability company. New members starting in the first half of the year only pay half the annual fee; those starting in the second half only pay the £11.

We have a 200-year-old hawthorn hedge along the road front of the site (which we are saving to get supplemented by a proper secure fence), a very secure gate with a second about to be replaced. There is a car park at one gate plus a road with limited parking/off-loading at the other. Water is piped onto most plots (no hosepipes allowed); there is a stables on-site which provides us with unlimited manure; we have lockers (but only enough for about half the plot-holders) & a machinery shed with 3 mowers, a rotovator, 2 strimmers & a brush cutter (most of which are new and all of which are serviced regularly).

There are no toilets (another long-term project!), although the Tesco Express next door is often handy! No communal shed, either.

[gingerninja38]

i pay £32 per year for a half plot.
we have water from 3 stand pipes, a communal shed with a cooker (locally known as cliff's cafe!) and 2 communal shed for storing large tools. there are also tools that you can borrow, but we have to supply the petrol. we have 2 carparks that we paid to have hardcored and the central path that runs up the middle of the site.
the council put secure fencing around the site and huge gates at either entrance. (there are 2)
our site has 65 plots

[SnooziSuzi]

We aren't council-owned, but are self-governing (& self-financing). ... & £1 for a share, as we are a limited liability company.

This is all really interesting. :D

I'm interested in knowing more about your limited company.  What happens if a member decides to leave the association?  Do they have to sell their share back to you?

[Trevor_D]

In theory, yes. It goes back to the original constitution of 1910. There were no annual fees, but each member pledged £1, of which they paid 1 shilling up-front. (In 1910, £1 was what a working class family could expect to provide a week's house-keeping, including rent!) The idea was that if the Association ever needed more money, they could call on the shareholder members for more, and there were elaborate precautions about how much & how often. And when a member left ofr  died, the share was transferred to his successor and the money was refunded.

We keep this going for two reasons. If we go bankrupt, we have no personal liability beyond the £1 share. Similarly, if some bright spark suggested selling off the site to builders for £80 million, our personal gain would be the refund of our £1, the residue going to local charities, under the constitution.

[SnooziSuzi]

Thanks Trevor :D  That sounds great!  I'm going to look into that a bit more and see if we can impliment on our site!