Topic: £25/pole rent

[tonybloke]

Betty, your association's aims and objects is a lot less 'confrontational' in it's wording, and although it has the same deep down meanings as Simon's association's, your  ones would (and have) been easier for a council to accept, and even encourage.  ;)

[Unwashed]

You're right Tony.  But what do you do when your council actively doesn't want to consult, inform or involve its tenants and would very much prefer that its tenants didn't organise themselves so that it could behave exactly how it wants, lawful or otherwise?  In a nutshell, they are only prepared to tolerate a site association that never questions or criticises anything they do.

[Squash64]

Simon, I've just had a thought  ;)

In Birmingham we have the Birmingham and District Allotments Council

(BDAC) http://www.bdacallotments.btik.com/p_2.ikml

I'm sure you have already looked into whether there is anything similar in your area, but if there isn't, couldn't one be set up?

I don't know how long ours has been in existence, but the Chairman is very helpful and I'm sure he would answer any questions you may have.

It's just a thought, I get them sometimes........

[Unwashed]

It's just a thought, I get them sometimes........

:)

There's nothing like that.  I proposed one, and the Council suppressed it.

Here's the resignation letter from one of the other delegates:

Further to our conversation yesterday, I feel that this group has yet to embrace the principles enshrined in the Growing in the Community manifesto which purports to inform it: for example, the wider issues of sustainability, food miles, peak oil, healthy eating, Food for Life, community empowerment and the formation of allotment associations and devolution of management of allotment sites.  It is as yet without locus or constitution and has never fully recovered from it's dramatic derailment by Cllrs ******** and ******** which resulted in Simon Kirby leaving the group and my formal complaint to the Community Services Committee.  Without a proper committment to the Growing in the Community document from a wide range of councillors I doubt whether this group will ever become more than a talking shop on the local minutiae of allotment issues.
 
Furthermore, it is doubtful whether a Town Council which in a time of economic recession has unilaterally and without warning increased allotment rents by 47%, with a promise of further increases to come, which seeks to shift the administrative burden of running amenities onto individual tenants (while increasing its precept by 7% and retaining an unused slush fund of £8,000 in its staffing budget) and which has seriously considered a whopping charge of £250 per annum to new tenants in order to reduce waiting lists, has fully comprehended its responsibilities under the Allotment Acts.  The Growing in the Community initiative contains much about enabling vulnerable, disadvantaged and low income families to have a positive and healthy relationship with the environment and a connection with the food they eat, and not merely about providing sites for middle-class hobby gardeners. There is so much in the document to provide opportunity for Newbury to become a 21st century town of green growth and community involvement, but in the two years or so that we have been meeting, our local council has failed to recognise this, if indeed any of its members have read it.

[:(]

Talk to these people

http://www.lgo.org.uk/

[Unwashed]

Thanks weequinie, and welcome to A4A.  Unfortunately town councils are a law unto themselves so a judicial review is the only higher authority.  There's the Standards Board that might possibly take action against councillors if they considered that my Human Rights were violated when they refused to recognise the Society while I was in it because I had criticised them publicly, but it doesn't have a great reputation for taking action.

[tonybloke]

UW, have a word with nsalg.
welcome to the forum, weequinie

[Digeroo]

The local government ombudsman is a very blunt knife.  I once took Gloucestershire to ombudsman on a matter totally unrelated to allotments.  Various recommendations were made but the council refused to accept the recommendations and there was nothing I could do about it. 

It involved a problem caused by a council employee.  When the matter was investigated the same employee investigated the matter.  My point was that whatever the outcome that the perpetrator of a problem should not then be the judge on the matter.  Of course that person will find in their own favour.  Yet the council refused to adjust their future procedures even when recommended by the ombudsman that their procedures were faulty. 

So give this a try but do not hold your breathe for a sensible outcome.

[tonybloke]

Unwashed, this may be of interest,  http://www.hmg.gov.uk/frontlinefirst.aspx

[:(]

Thanks for the welcomes.

Unwashed I can think of a few possibilities. Number 1 is do nothing, easy option but maybe not for you  ;) Number 2 is take the council through whatever full complaints process applies right to the top. Denying other people an association becuase of some kind of personal vendetta against you is not how councils are supposed to behave. They may cave when they realise youre serious. Number 3 is ask for a mediation process with the council and see if differences can be resolved. Number 4 is step aside and let someone else be the figurehead while you direct in the background. Tone down the objects to be untheatening. Make getting an assocation, any association the top priority. Once youve got it, change is easier.

[Unwashed]

It's all just guff Tony.  I can't help feeling that all politicians, national and local, are self-serving toe-rags.  If national government wants to help then it can give allotment associations the power to assume responsibility for council services.  And how about giving associations the right to compulsorily rent land for allotments, because local councils sure aren't doing their duty.

I'm going to pass on the NSALG.  I'm so angry with Newbury Town Council.  I've done constructive, I'm just going to be difficult now.

A member here helpfully suggested that I ask for a breakdown of the council's indirect costs.  I don't have complete information yet, but it looks like the true cost of the allotment service in Newbury is much worse than they published.  If you include the council overheads in the service cost it looks like the allotment service costs the newbury tax-payer £107k, and not £50k.  That's for 560 plots.  And it takes a bit over 1.5 council staff to directly administer the service, though that doesn't include the support staff - so that's over 5 hours admin per plot.  I can see why they get so pissed with me when I ask questions.

[Unwashed]

Thanks weequinie.  That's good advice.  I've done 4. already, but the council still recognize me as the ringleader.  If I get tired of the fight I might have to take 1., but it's really not an option as I'll just get bullied if I quit before the end.  Received wisdom on other sites is not to criticise the council and to submit absolutely to their will, but they're treated no better than we are so all that does is give the council an easy ride.  Actually what I'd like is for everyone else to tell the council that we're not going to take any more of their crapola, but mostly people don't seem that bothered by crapola.  I'm obviously crapola-intolerant.

[:(]

  I'm obviously crapola-intolerant.

Yeah me too. Have you been to your MPs walkin clinic? Maybe bad timing tho if theyre getting the shove on 6 may.

[Unwashed]

No, I haven't tried that.  I wrote to the opposition candidate, but didn't hear back.

[:(]

Give it a go then, nothing to lose have you? From your other posts sounds like theyre trying to bully you. There are bullies in all walks of life, on here as Ive found, on councils as youve found. Stand firm for whats right and dont let them win.

[Unwashed]

Spent a couple of hours protesting outside the Town Hall this morning with Thomas on a placard.

[:(]

Love it, hope you invited the local press!!!

[Squash64]

What happened?  Did it raise much interest?

[Unwashed]

No press this week, but there'll be plenty of opportunity.

Hi Betty, I got to speak to a couple of folk from other sites.  There were plenty of councillors about and they got the message.  I'm anticipating it being a long campaign though.

[1066]

I love the poster - perhaps you could make one up of the Fat Controller
Good luck Unwashed!

And welcome to A4A weequinie   ;D