Topic: Allotment supervisor has vendetta against plot holder

[blackkitty2]

Hi there.

Recently the supervisor of my allotments has launched a vendetta against myself. To cut a long story short he refused to assist in replacing a gate and I had to contact the council who then came and replaced it. The supervisor was not happy that I 'went over his head'. The gate was a health and safety problem and also so badly broken that it could not be locked. After being verbally abused by said supervisor all went quiet for over a month.

I have now heard on the grapevine that he contacted the local council about me selling pumpkins from my own home. They told him it is suplus stock so he got no joy there. Also the posters I put out were removed by myself after a visit from the local community warden. How was I to know it constituted fly tipping. I'm just a dimwit plot holder!

The fact that I am selling the pumpkins for charity seems not to have deterred him and he is obviously out for my blood. How can I make sure that this guy leaves me alone to my growing?  He is harrassing me and I do know that is against allotment regs.......Does anyone have any ideas as I am at my wits end.

[Andy H]

Hiya Blackkitty, how is he harrassing you and how is he out for your blood?

If he is breaking allotment regs then complain to the council if they are in charge.

Also contact your LOCAL paper about raising money for charity and naming him for causing problems.

It is a very quick and effective way of shutting people up!

Name him on here and more details and perhaps more advice will come forward, also name the allotments as someone at the same or near may be able to help you.

[blackkitty2]

Thanks for replying Andy.

It's been a terrible day...Ooops before I forget thanks everyone for looking at my post and my manners for not introducing myself as a 'newbie' on the forum. I'm under quite a bit of stress but raising money is going really well at over £60 for Parkinson's disease already.

As for the how we are being harrassed about selling the pumpkins. Let's just say that he is clever and gets his minions to spread misinformation. That's just for starters - complete strangers come up to us on our allotment and tell us the rumours spread. I digress.

He has singled us out as 500 yards down the road another plot holder is selling stuff for profit but they weren't reported. Just us. He was too cowardly to come and ask what we were doing and where the monies were going.

I haver contacted the council about the matter even though the Chairman of the local allotment association told me not to. He seemed agitated when I said I had contacted them. I'm not stupid and I didn't follow his advice. I still contacted the council. To be continued.....

[blackkitty2]

Let's just say you get a sense of what people are like on the phone. I cried (very weak of me but my ma only died 6 weeks ago) and told him the situation but he spoke over me (no 'I'm sorries for your loss'). He then stated that the site supervisor was 'very upset' about the situation with the pumpkins. Excuse me but surely I kinda take priority in the 'upset' stakes!

Enough ranting. I will contact the paper like you suggested as it all sucks and I just want to grow my fruit, veg and flowers and do a bit for charity. I'm not the only one he has threatened too. Some poor old plotty asked for his hedge to be cut by the council and he was threatened with eviction when he asked 'just where do my dues go' when his request was refused.

You asked where the allotments are....Being petrified I will only give clues har, har. My locality is known for a famous character played by Kevin Costner and Rusell Crowe. There is a famous tree down the road in a famous forest. The allotments used to be an iron age fort. The Maun valley trail is not too far away. Blah, blah.....

If I wasn't so darn afraid of being evicted I would throw him to the wolves. Someone told me he needs his wings clipping.

[Andy H]

having read again the first post, It is only the plots supervisor so tell him to shut up and mind his own business and see what he says.

Contact your local paper to advertise the fact that you are selling pumpkins for charity and how much raised so far. not mentioning anything about the problems so it doesnt look like a dig at him.

local papers like that sort of happy story with a picture of you surrounded by pumpkins and some kids too if you have any (or borrow some)!

If then later he has a go at you then write down all you remember and ring the paper back up and they can run a story running him down for being a killjoy at fund raising for a great cause etc!

He would probably then sneak into the smelly hole he came from and never speak to you again.

You also have the option of harrassment complaint particularly if he is being "rude" to you.

many ways to play it really, but dont worry about someones words, they are just that and you can smile and just say P off.

If all else fails then hit him! (just kidding)!

Keep us informed but surely it is not against the rules to sell surplus for charity??? only profit although most sites dont mind if it is excess, or am I wrong about that? someone must know, I dont do rules and regulations and small print unless I have to!

[Unwashed]

Hello blackkitty2, welcome to A4A. 

What does your Tenancy Agreement say about you selling what you've grown?

[Andy H]

Then he too needs to go to the papers for a sympathy vote and to slag down the killjoy!

In fact tell everyone to do it AFTER you get you "advert" in there!

If he is dragged through the mud enough he will realise people wont stand for being bullied and trodden on.

Make him look like the thingy he really is.

I had firm words to our supervisor once and thats all it needed, basically he threatened to weed kill round plots if grass got to long, I made it clear what I would do if he went near my plot.

[Tee Gee]

having been there myself I think I know what you are going through!

I have to ask how was the supervisor elected to the post?

In my/ our case it was a clique the post was handed down from one of the clique members to the next rather than by any democratic means.

The council were quite happy because the post was filled but the members were not and neither was the district allotment federation who saw him as a pain in the a**e.

He has since died and I won,t speak I'll of the dead but his mate has inherited the post and he is a  miserable old bu**er who has also gone power mad like his predecessor.

 And that' s the thing the post does not command any power, it is simply a liaison position between him and the council.

What I am really concerned about is his mate and I guess successor particularly when the name Adolph springs to mind.

Can't you get a petition going with a vote of ' No Confidence' and elect a new supervisor I know there are moves afoot on our plots to ensure that Adolph does not get the post when our current incumbent  gives up the post!

Check your constitution and go from there

[blackkitty2]

Thanks everyone for replying. I can feel those tears welling again goddamit!

The local paper is such a good idea as the pumpkins look fabulous and we have completed Jack Sparrow, Grandpa Munster, Bela Lugosi, the Benicio Del Toro new Wolfman, a headless cheerleader (nice!), the original Frankenstein, Cujo (80s Stephen King adaptation) and for ourselves (married on Halloween) and soon 3 characters from True Blood and the serial killer Dexter. Also multiple traditional scary scarecrows with pumpkin heads and cute stuff with howling wolves and the like.

Lots of work but they look fantastic.

I will get emailing the local paper as they love stuff like what we are suffering through. When someone whipped a 3 foot koi from our pond they were gagging for the story especially with the human element of it being a 15 year old pet. Sadly 'Ramases' never came home, even with the reward we offered. Sniff.

Many thanks again as I now feel more positive and less teary. My late ma' would have kicked his a** given the chance as she hated bullies and injustice. She loved our carvings too.

[goodlife]

Here in Notts. we know lot of folks in another allotments..you only need to drop a name and word will soon go around..what it good for one is good for another ;) It don't hurt to fire all guns at once.
That kind of bahaviour is not to be tolerated..so if you feel like "spilling more beans"..I'm all 'ears' ;) ;D

[blackkitty2]

Hi Tee Gee.

Yep spot on - he was handed the post and who ever voted for him was on the committe clique. As for anyone outside of that circle of the damned getting a look in on things well...Actually apparently noone else would do the supervisor job so we got him and his croney friend/side-kick from hell.

I asked if I could go to a committe meeting when I spoke to the site Nazi about a gate that needed fixing (the cause of the original hostility - well he refused to contact the council, so I did and got it fixed har, har). Anyway he told me that as I was 'not a committee member' then I was not entitled to contact or any say to do with the allotments as that - I quote - 'better be careful about what I was talking about as it was none of my business'. Gee I think he might just have been threatening us there.

As far as a tenancy is concerned, well brace yourselves. Noone has signed one for years as the site supervisor told us not to about 3 years ago. Apparently because the council would not change their rules on shed/greenhouse size then we were not given any tenants aggreements. I didn't know until the other day the havoc this might cause and how damaging this could be in the long run legally.

[Digeroo]

Welcome blackkitty2 to A4A.  You seem to be having a lot of stress at the moment.  I think that the idea of Andy M to get a good story in the paper is a good idea.  I think that you should ignore anything negative this person says to you and respond to anything he says with a positive remark.  So 'I hear you are selling pumpkins ' reply oh yes I have raised £££ for this charity'.    

For a good laugh find a copy of the fllm 'Grow your own. '  

[pumkinlover]

I love "Grow your own" but I find it like the "Full Monty" in that it makes me laugh and cry! So much emotion :(

[Unwashed]

As far as a tenancy is concerned, well brace yourselves. Noone has signed one for years as the site supervisor told us not to about 3 years ago. Apparently because the council would not change their rules on shed/greenhouse size then we were not given any tenants aggreements. I didn't know until the other day the havoc this might cause and how damaging this could be in the long run legally.

You only have to sign a new Agreement if you want it to replace the previous one.

Have you ever signed a Tenancy Agreement?  When did you get your plot?

What havoc and damage are you thinking about?  If you don't have a written tenancy agreement it's very difficult for the council to show that any rules apply to you so there's no reason why you shouldn't sell your produce, and it's nothing whatsoever to do with your site steward or anyone at the council if you do.

[blackkitty2]

Hi Unwashed and thanks for your help.

You know how you get when you read a website and it winds you up when you are stressed and irrational? Yep me at the moment so I won't think about such stuff when you have pointed out the obvious that no signed tenants agreement means no rules apply. Yippee. Thanks Unwashed!

When myself and the hubster first took on the original plot I did sign an aggrement but that was it. And that was 10 years ago. Another never appeared after that.

As for talking to the site supervisor. He's too busy getting his side-kick to shout abuse and is completely unapproachable. He even let some guy starve his chickens for 3 weeks when we had all that bad weather at the beginning of the year. Everyone fed the chickens to keep them going - his answer prior to this was that the guy was leaving enough food and water for a week so there was no problem. I mentioned the RSPCA but was told he would deal with things which meant everyone else fed them.

I think that I will watch 'Grow your own' again as I loved its take on the allotment community. Sadly our allotments have no community which is a shame. Everyone keeps to themselves and the air is rife with scandal, gossip and loads of men of a certain age escaping their wives. Except mine, he's shackled to the kitchen sink - pumpkin cutter in hand.

[Unwashed]

When myself and the hubster first took on the original plot I did sign an aggrement but that was it. And that was 10 years ago. Another never appeared after that.

If you signed an Agreement when you first took on the plot then that is still in effect.  Can you find it?  It may well say you can't sell stuff.  If you can't find it you could ask your council for a copy of their copy.

I'm sorry about the stress, I do understand.

[lavenderlux]

I am sorry you are feeling stressed over the situation on your allotment site but think you've caused some of these problems yourself.
You say you'd contacted the 'chairman of the local allotment association' ie someone higher up than your site manager and he advised you not to go direct to the council - was this perhaps because the council had already been contacted, but you ignored this?  Council's aren't able to act instantly for repairs and maybe the matter was in hand.
You say you put up posters for your pumpkins but your 'local warden' told you to take them down - did you put them up on the allotment without asking (we have 'wardens' as well as a person in charge of our site) and we wouldn't be very happy if plot holders put up posters on our site without asking as this would indeed be 'fly posting'
The standard regulations on allotments are (I believe) that the produce is for your own use and not for selling  As for you having no site rules, the ones in place when you took over your plot would apply
Being an allotment site manager is not an easy task and it also takes a lot of time and not many people want to take on this task.  As for your site having no ‘community’, for a site to have a community/community activities someone has to arrange this and this also takes up a lot of time – if your site has an agm why don’t you raise the matter then.  If you don’t have an agm then you can contact the chairman of the local association in writing to ask for one.
Contact your local paper to make it known you are selling pumpkins to raise funds for a local charity, however no journalist and paper would publish a story of a dispute which was just one sided, without getting the full facts/views from the other party(s) involved

[mike77]

"As for your site having no ‘community’, for a site to have a community/community activities someone has to arrange this and this also takes up a lot of time "

I usually find talking to people helps create a community! Wheres the effort in that?

[:(]

I am sorry you are feeling stressed over the situation on your allotment site but think you've caused some of these problems yourself.
You say you'd contacted the 'chairman of the local allotment association' ie someone higher up than your site manager and he advised you not to go direct to the council - was this perhaps because the council had already been contacted, but you ignored this?  Council's aren't able to act instantly for repairs and maybe the matter was in hand.
You say you put up posters for your pumpkins but your 'local warden' told you to take them down - did you put them up on the allotment without asking (we have 'wardens' as well as a person in charge of our site) and we wouldn't be very happy if plot holders put up posters on our site without asking as this would indeed be 'fly posting'
The standard regulations on allotments are (I believe) that the produce is for your own use and not for selling  As for you having no site rules, the ones in place when you took over your plot would apply
Being an allotment site manager is not an easy task and it also takes a lot of time and not many people want to take on this task.  As for your site having no ‘community’, for a site to have a community/community activities someone has to arrange this and this also takes up a lot of time – if your site has an agm why don’t you raise the matter then.  If you don’t have an agm then you can contact the chairman of the local association in writing to ask for one.
Contact your local paper to make it known you are selling pumpkins to raise funds for a local charity, however no journalist and paper would publish a story of a dispute which was just one sided, without getting the full facts/views from the other party(s) involved

+1

I just find it amazing that people here automatically jump into the defence of a complete stranger posting here for the first time. No disrespect to the OP but noone here has the full story. Theres always another side that isnt heard. It happens quite often here when people get into disputes with neighbours, associations, the council, etc they come here, post the tale of woe and its just assumed its all true, the other party is evil and they get all kinds of suggestions from the ridiculous to the downright illegal. I hope nobody here ever does jury service.

[blackkitty2]

Ok now I will try to clarify things. I only asked for help and advice and yes it could well be argued that I caused some problems but I will attempt to clarify.

We didn't put anything on the allotment sign wise. We placed them in our local commuinty and as soon as we were told to take them down we did. I now realise that there is a law in that respect and we should have been more careful. We did what was asked of us and we really did not know we had done anything wrong. I didn't even know what 'fly posting' was until I looked it up on the internet.

Secondly when I told the Chairman that I had contacted the relevant person at the council he stated 'I will contact them'. He went really quiet when I told him I had contacted them. Seems weird to me.

As for the gate repair I waited a whole month with a broken gate allowing access by anyone before I contacted the council after the site supe refused to help. The gate could not be locked and it actually injured us at one point. Did I have a choice? The council fixed it in less than three weeks. If he had indeed contacted them I wouldn't be here moaning. Now I'm having to defend myself here. Sigh.