We've had our plot for just 4 years now and, have enjoyed a great deal of good advice from the two "benevolent dictators" who unofficially run the site. These two guys have been there for many years, and make sure that things are sensibly run without being too heavy handed. We haven't had an official site representative, and haven't really needed one.
Sadly, this is about to change. One of the allotment holders has volunteered to be site rep, and has been confirmed in that position by the council, who own the site.
What is it with these people? I suppose that their goal in life is to make everyone else just that little bit more miserable. A noticeboard has suddenly appeared with a long list of proposed rules. Our two benevolent dictators are unhappy. We're unhappy. I'm personally especially unhappy. I enjoy the freedom that allotmenteering brings, and I'm not about to have that spoiled by some little middle-class bossyboots with too much time on her hands deciding that the mesh size on our fruit netting doesn't meet some imaginary standard.
What she doesn't yet understand is that with power, however footling, comes responsibility. But she will, Oscar, she will. It would be a shame if she didn't ensure that every procedure was followed scrupulously, every risk assessed, and every meeting correctly minuted, so I'll be (metaphorically) perched on her shoulder in a quality assurance role. After all, if someone wants to be a petit fonctionnaire, the very least I can do is help them enjoy it to the full.
Watch this space.
I feel for you Melbourne12 I really do!
Do you have some sort of mechanism for rejecting\accepting rules? Surely she can't just make them up on her tod?
We run oursleves as a private association so we don't have the council looming over us and we make desicions about rules at the AGM where all (who bother to turn up) can vote. Hence we have a very short list of rules which boil down to:
1 - Be conciderate
2 - Ask before putting a shed up!
3 - Cultivate your plot
Compare to the Yummy Mummy allotments nearby - where you are not allowed to grow broad beans (WTF!), all sheds have to be green, no hosepipes, no beer :o and a list of rules as long as your arm.
I prefer it your old way which works as long as you have decent people.
The very best of luck
Quote from: BarriedaleNick on May 27, 2009, 14:14:06
you are not allowed to grow broad beans (WTF!), all sheds have to be green, no hosepipes, no beer
Why on earth not!!!!???
Hope rules thing gets sorted for you :(
I was just about to ask that :)
did the council ask for such a site rep?just wondering if this lady was the only volunteer,if so,she may need a bit of support in her new role.hope it all works out for you all.will you not be forming a commitee?? then your two original dictators,and a few others can all share the responsibility.
we had a lady site rep..she was a bloody nightmare..but we got rid of her and her stupid home made rules......
JTW
Quote from: Hector on May 27, 2009, 14:24:16
Why on earth not!!!!???
Something to do with attracting blackfly. Sense. Not!
Site Rep ( Representative) .....The person who is the go between you and the council.
As far as i see it she has no power, cannot make bare decisions or make rules. These all come down from the majority of the plot holders.
Me thinks i would have words with other plot holders about forming a committee. then she has to do what the majority want.
Quote from: Melbourne12 on May 27, 2009, 13:40:41
the mesh size on our fruit netting doesn't meet some imaginary standard.
Blimey!!!!! I'd like to see them trying to enforce that one !!!
Perhaps you could ask what colour the holes of the netting need to be :P
We had a 'benevolent dictator' who was anything but benevolent. Trouble is, if you go down that route, you're opening the field for anyone who wants to sneak in and get a bit of petty power for themselves. There's always someone. She's presumably squeezed out a couple of guys who may have been too benevolent to stand up to her. You need to squeeze back, as hard as necessary. If the rules haven't been passed by some reasonable form of due process, don't stand for them!
I sympathize. Same happened to us a few years ago. Fight it. I do.
One of the most useful bits of legislation is the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations 1999 because 1. it prevents a lot of the petty tyrany, and 2. it's enforced by Trading Standards. Amoungst other things it prevents the council from changing the rules for existing tenants in any way that makes the allotment less valuable to the tenant. It also prevents the steward making arbitrary rules. This (http://www.netlawman.co.uk/info/unfair-terms-tenancy-agreements-1.php) is a useful primer.
The key is to organise yourselves. Start a democratic site association, it's not a fight you can win on your own.
Best of luck.
Go to bed Rekella... just been trying to convince my lad to do the same, and I think he's broken my nose!!!! ::)
i think i better i just caught myself nodding off :-\. night night :). hope your nose feels better :-*
My theory is "if it ain't broke then don't fix it"
Nose very bruised... but OK.. may be wearing a couple of shiners on the Open Day... :-[
Oh dear...... :-\
OH says he will put it back in place for you if you want, used to doing his own during rugby..... ::)
Back on thread, as a committee member who does plot assessments on our site, I think there is a fine line between trying to address the problem of plotholders who do not cultivate their plots (other plotholders moan about them to you), and how you do and follow assessments up without putting everyones back up (plotholders will still moan at you). A thick skin, photographic evidence and trying really hard to be fair is all I try to do.....and you will still get moaned at! Good when you see the site improving over time though, but being heavy handed is guaranteed to rub just about everyone up the wrong way....
Quote from: saddad on May 28, 2009, 09:22:39
Nose very bruised... but OK.. may be wearing a couple of shiners on the Open Day... :-[
oh dear, what the heck was he doing?
ps sorry for going off post :-*