I would like to ask anyone who wishes to support the Early Day Motion 687
That this House welcomes the big increase in home-grown vegetables, with seed sales up 14 per cent. last year; is pleased that the number of people wanting an allotment has increased by 20 per cent. in thepast 12 months; is concerned that according to the National Society for Allotment and Leisure Gardeners there are 100,000 people on waiting lists for an allotment; and calls on the Government, local authorities, other public bodies and private landlords to make land available for new allotments.
To write or contact their MP and request that they support this motion.
"Every little helps" ;D
To see if your MP has already signed visit http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41647&SESSION=905 (http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41647&SESSION=905)
28 signatures... a good start but it will need a lot more! :(
Indeed that is the main reason I posted here.
It is a cross party EDM so it should be a little easier to persuade our MP's to support it.
In a lot of cases I guess that our MP's are not even aware of the issue in their locality until we request them to investigate.
In Sussex where I live the local paper reports that at present their are 4000 people on allotment waiting lists.
Nearly 2000 are in Brighton but even in my more rural location of Mid Sussex there are still nearly 200 on the local lists
I think this is a promising move lets hope it can really gather pace. We have no local authority allotments at all here. But the private ones are doing very well.
I've just emailed Khalid Mahmood, my MP.
emailed my MP, Fiona Bruce (no not that one, the MP Fiona Bruce!)
Neither mp's for Swindon (North/South) are voting on any EDM in their first year in office. Nice copout >:( >:(
Makes you wonder why they bothered standing. ??? ???
Quote from: taurus on October 01, 2010, 11:38:09
Neither mp's for Swindon (North/South) are voting on any EDM in their first year in office. Nice copout >:( >:(
Huh? That's terrible.
I can not see why MP should decide they do not want to support this. Is it considered controversial.
I am not convinced that EDM actually achieve much.
Just emailed my MP Karen Lumley
Have emailed my MP Dominic Raab
Have e-mailed Richard Benyon.
If you don't know how to reach your MP, They Work For You (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/) makes it very easy.
Quote from: Unwashed on October 01, 2010, 13:27:44
Have e-mailed Richard Benyon.
If you don't know how to reach your MP, They Work For You (http://www.theyworkforyou.com/) makes it very easy.
Apparently as a member of the government my MP isn't allowed to sign. :(
Thank you, unwashed, didn't even know who our m.p was ???
apparently, she hasn't disagreed with her party during this parliament ;D
sent her an e mail, :)
I have sent mine one too.
He only lives over the road though LOL
Just e:mailed Margaret Becket. Bet I don't get a reply. ;D
Quote from: Unwashed on October 01, 2010, 13:52:48
Apparently as a member of the government my MP isn't allowed to sign. :(
They are allowed to sign crossparty Early Day Motions unless they are in the cabinet so I understand it
Another type frequently found is the all-party motion, which expresses a view across party
divides. This type of EDM might raise for example, a social issue or a subject which has been
promoted by one party but will also attract signatures from MPs of a different political allegiance.It is generally only all-party motions that can obtain large numbers of signatures.
Ministers and whips do not normally sign EDMs. Under the Ministerial Code, Parliamentary
Private Secretaries "must not associate themselves with particular groups advocating special
policies", and they do not normally sign EDMs. Neither the Speaker nor Deputy Speakers will
sign EDMs.
As the motion already has signatures from all the main parties do not let your MP cop out easily :)
I got a reply today from MP as below
Thank you for your email of the 1st October.
I have today studied Early Day Motion 687 and I am happy to give it my support.
Best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
Nicholas Soames
One extra at least:)
i have sent a message to my MP Richard Bacon....will wait his reply.
Not heard anything yet :(
Heard from Margaret Beckett today. She says she does not propose to sign early day motions but will raise it with relevant ministers or officials. She has drawn my comments to the secretary of state for communities and local government,Eric Pickles. She will contact me again when she receives a reply.What a load of tosh!!!
Just an update
There are now 57 signatures an increase of 30 since the first post well done everyone.
My MP finally responded to my email.
As he is a cabinet ? member he is unable to sign but will contact the relevant person LOL
My MP has a large land holding I do not think he needs an allotment ;D
Quote from: Amazingrotavator(Derby) on October 19, 2010, 17:24:55
Heard from Margaret Beckett today. She says she does not propose to sign early day motions but will raise it with relevant ministers or officials. She has drawn my comments to the secretary of state for communities and local government,Eric Pickles. She will contact me again when she receives a reply.What a load of tosh!!!
Do you find our beloved Margaret as much use as me then... ;D
I have just written to Toby Perkins the MP for Chesterfield.
I e-mailed my MP and received a reply from a secretary saying he would like to write to me - replied that I don't do paper.
Thought today I'd try again, as he hasn't signed, so went to They Work For You and found this delightful response!!
Dominic Raab MP has told us not to deliver any messages from the constituents of Esher and Walton. Instead you can try looking them up on the Parliament website. There you will get a phone number, a postal address, and for some MPs a website or way to contact them by email.
Can see this guy is not going to be any better than the last one!
Quote from: saddad on October 26, 2010, 07:54:10
Quote from: Amazingrotavator(Derby) on October 19, 2010, 17:24:55
Heard from Margaret Beckett today. She says she does not propose to sign early day motions but will raise it with relevant ministers or officials. She has drawn my comments to the secretary of state for communities and local government,Eric Pickles. She will contact me again when she receives a reply.What a load of tosh!!!
Do you find our beloved Margaret as much use as me then... ;D
As much use as a chocolate fire guard. Good job I didn't vote for her ;D
I just sent mine another message - explaining i sent the original one on the 7th October and heard nothing back.....bunch of monkeys (i didn't add that latter bit!)
No response from MP Fiona Bruce, perhaps I'd get more from Antiques Roadshow Fiona Bruce.
Okay, done it, let's see if anything happens.
Wow i only emailed him yesterday (okay was 2nd time of trying) but this is what he said........
>
> Thank you very much for your email.
>
> I am pleased to tell you that I signed the EDM last night. I know how much pleasure people obtain from allotments and they are in my view most definitely a Good Thing. We have a small amount of home-grown vegetables and fruit in our garden at home and obtain a pleasure from them quite disproportionate to the size of the crop! Indeed, some of my earliest memories are sitting in a kitchen garden pulling carrots out of the ground, brushing off the soil and eating them there and then.
>
> I'm not quite so sure about the "private landlords" part of the text but I have signed the EDM anyway. As you know, there is already a statutory obligation on parishes to provide allotments to those who want them. As is often the case, what needs to happen is that the existing law is applied and enforced.
>
> Best wishes
> Yours sincerely
> Richard Bacon
Wow I am impressed by this response. But it is a pity that he thinks that the existing statutes are sufficient. They certainly have not produced any allotments around here. With zero budget and no local landowner willing to let to the parish council that is the end of allotments: the statutary obligations do not change that.
That really is a first class response from Richard Bacon and I applaud him. IMHO he's right about the legislation too. The problem is not a lack of powers, not in many cases a lack of land, nor is it a lack of money, the problem is parish councillors sitting on their hands and a lack of any organised campaign to force them to do their duty.
**sitting proud as punch at my MP** I may vote for him next time. ;)
Actually our parish council are trying their hardest. There is no hand sitting on going on at all here on the contrary they have been very proactive. There is no availability of land.
I am not sure that landowners want to let their land to councils which is why encouraging them to do it privately is a good idea since they do not loose as much control over their land.
What we need in a repeal of the Inclosure Acts when the land was taken away in the first place.
Quote from: Unwashed on October 27, 2010, 19:38:33
That really is a first class response from Richard Bacon and I applaud him. IMHO he's right about the legislation too. The problem is not a lack of powers, not in many cases a lack of land, nor is it a lack of money, the problem is parish councillors sitting on their hands and a lack of any organised campaign to force them to do their duty.
True enough I'd say.
Weird, isn't it....? We have to obey any number of laws for fear of penalty, but somehow,
some local councillors seem to think there is no real obligation to obey a law which
applies to them, as our 'elected representatives', specifically! ??? How
did that happen?
Quote from: Digeroo on October 27, 2010, 20:10:08
I am not sure that landowners want to let their land to councils which is why encouraging them to do it privately is a good idea since they do not loose as much control over their land.
The 1908 Act gives parish councils (indirectly) the power to compulsorily rent land for allotments so if there's land available there's no excuse not to comply with the statutory duty to provide sufficient allotments. Digeroo - I can see suitable land within 100 yds of your site. Has your parish council asked Gloucestershire County Council to aquire land for them with their power under the 1908 Act, and if not why not? Of course one possible answer is that parish councillors are more concerned with the interests of their land-owning chums than they are the interests of their constituents, but you might have difficulty pinning that on them.
Providing allotments is the only positive duty on parish councils, everything else they do is optional. What it needs is for someone to take a parish council to the high court for a judicial review of their decision not to do their duty, but that's always a bit of a lottery, it'll cost an arm and a leg up-front for experienced representation, and it'll cost some serious money if you lose.
Quote from: Digeroo on October 27, 2010, 19:00:33
Wow I am impressed by this response. But it is a pity that he thinks that the existing statutes are sufficient. They certainly have not produced any allotments around here. With zero budget and no local landowner willing to let to the parish council that is the end of allotments: the statutary obligations do not change that.
As Unwashed has just said the existing statutes are sufficient... there was no problem creating extra allotments during the World Wars... it's only a lack of will that stops the 1908 Act being effective... >:(
I received a reply from my MP Khalid Mahmood (lab) today.
Dear Betty,
Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the allotments and more specifically the allocation of more land for the use as allotments. I will look into the EDM that you have noted and look into whether or not I can support it.
I do agree that more land should be made available for allotments. Allotments perform a good social function within communities and offer people the opportunity and the local opportunities they provide. It is also nice for people to enjoy outside space and cultivate where they may not otherwise have the chance. Whilst on the subject it is unfortunate to note that the council has just raised allotment fees from twenty-eight pounds a year to seventy-five pounds a year, and I hope this will not discourage their use.
It is always nice to hear from concerned constituents like you who are passionate about issues that concern them. As always please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if you require any further help or have any other concerns.
Many thanks,
Yours sincerely,
Khalid Mahmood MP.
Had a letter from Margaret Beckett today with a copy of a reply she received from Eric Pickles about availability of land for allotments.Here is a couple of paragraphs from it.
In recent years, one of the biggest issues for those with an interest in allotments has been the very significant increase in demand for allotment plots and, consequently, increased pressure on local authorities to meet the demand. Government recognises that allotments are valuable green spaces and community assets.
A recent initiative to support local authorities in meeting demand for allotments has been the publication and dissemination of A Place To Grow (March 2010). This guidance is aimed at helping local authorities minimise the length of time an individual has to wait before getting an allotment plot. A copy of this publication can be down loaded from the LGA website at www.lga.gov.uk or by contacting LGconnect at 0207 664 3131.
The next paragraph he starts to woffle on about short term leases on empty shops.When someone round here tries to grow something in a shop,the police raid it and take the plants away ;D ;D
It's almost worth planting some achocha as a decoy... ;D
Quote from: Digeroo on October 27, 2010, 20:10:08
What we need in a repeal of the Inclosure Acts when the land was taken away in the first place.
Dead right, it was the first great privatisation.
Hi All,
Had a reply from Fiona Bruce ( by letter - waste of my money - what's wrong with an e-mail?). I added a bit of justification to my request
"As a Sandbach resident, I discovered that there are no allotment sites in Sandbach, and the nearest options for me are a car journey away. This denies those on low income access to a source of home grown, healthy vegetables and fruit. I was able to obtain a plot on a site in Crewe, but this is a long way short of convenient, and also denies a Crewe resident access to a plot close to their home."
She says
"Thank you for your e-mail regarding EDM687 which I am pleased to confirm I have signed ( yipee!).
My grandparents, parents and in turn myself, particularly when my children were young, have all grown our own vegetables and I am extremely pleased to note that there is such an enthusiastic degree of support for this within Sandbach and that the Town Council is looking into how this can be tangibly encouraged by the release of land for allotment sites in the local area.
I do hope that their work proves fruitful!
Think I need to figure out who my parish councillor is and add my support to local allotments.
Cheers