Topic: Big Society and Self-Management

[Unwashed]

I was hugely impressed with one of the bits in the Conservative's manefesto.  Big Society is about helping grass-roots community organisations help themselves.

Two and a half years ago I started an allotment society to give the tenants a voice and reign-in an increasingly authoritarian town council.  I wanted the council to work with us, asking us about rule changes and involving us in the site maintenance.  The council responded by suppressing the society and hounding me.  Inmates in a prison camp have a more enlightened regeime than ours.  I hadn't thought about self-management to start with but now I'm convinced there's no working with the council and self-management is the answer.

Of course the council don't want to devolve anything so self-management is going to be difficult to achieve, but this Big Society is talking about giving voluntary groups like ours the right to assume responsibility for public services.  It's enough to get me to vote Conservative.

Funny thing though, none of the Conservative councillors at my Town Council believe in the policy.

[PIGEON]

I would like the right to buy my allotment plot, but it will never happen.  Those in power don't want the working class to be happy.   ;)

[tonybloke]

I would like the right to buy my allotment plot, but it will never happen.  Those in power don't want the working class to be happy.   ;)

how would owning your plot make you happy?

[PIGEON]

Well I must have spent a fortune on my allotment.  You hear of the planners taking allotment space to build houses.  I suppose it would be peace of mind.  At least if I owned it, I could be sure my kids could grow their own in the future.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Plots on my site were let on long leases as long as it was privately owned, The result was, plotholders effectively owned their plots, and felt free to invest in them. Leases were sold for good prices. Once the Council took over, they treated it like any other site, though I think it was probably on the slide long before that. The old urban gardens effectively collapsed everywhere they still survived after the middle of the last century.

[PIGEON]

The trouble is, where I live there is very little land comes on the market.  So if you just want one acre, it could cost £20k.  I think if the councils could buy the land and sell the lease for a nominal fee say for 50 years, then it would be worth investing in the plot.  This could also include a contract like the ones drawn up for crofters in Scotland, where you are legally bound to maintain the plot.

Our plots are in the most affluent part of the parish and I am sure they could get planning in the next 5 to 10 years.  ???

[campanula]

i live in dread of self management on our site since the people who would clamour for it are the tyrants. We have a few problems with terrible unworked plots and tenants hanging on to their plots for years, depsite doing NOTHING, year on year BUT, there are some absolute bullies as well who are adamant that one size fits all - I would be kicked off for not growing just fruit and vegetables. A handful of people managed to get CCTV on the site, despite vigorous opposition from others. mostly though, many of these arrangements end up in the hands of power mad busybodies. On the whole, i prefer chaos and anarchy.