Allotments 4 All

Hi Folks,

Our allotment is thinking about going down the route of self management. I couldn't find anything on this forum about it on a quick search but wondered if anyone had any experience with it.

So far the local council is encouraging us to do this. From what I understand the council will rent the whole site to us for a nominal £1 and our committee will then run the site setting rents etc but also having to foot the bills for any repairs, water rates etc.

Just wondered if it was as good a thing as it sounds.  :-\

Any views would be very welcome.

Many thanks.

MP

Our site is "self managed" and we only pay the council a "peppercorn" rent too.

We are responsible for the site.mowing the grass and cutting hedges etc.

We manage very well.

Our site is totally self-run - the land is owned by the local church charity and we rent it from them. So we have to do everything (and pay for everything) ourselves. It works well.

But I think I'd only go down that road if you have a nucleus of hard-working folk who are willing & able to take on the organisation. We've got a good team and support from the vast majority of the membership. If you've got that, too, then go for it!

Hello, MP
Earlier this year our local council decreed we would have to become self-managing, and unsurprisingly not many people liked the idea, as they found the council-run set up both convenient and affordable.
We got a working party together, and some kind of association, got the committee in place - but 8 months on we still don't have the constitution sorted out (which should be a bog standard format, shouldn't it?), thanks to one of our committee members who is also a councillor and keeps messing about with the minutiae...
Meanwhile nearly everybody has lost interest in the "self-management", and hardly anyone attends the meetings anymore, despite a handful of us really pushing, as we have plans, for compost toilets, water management, communal shed, site security, joining the local produce market etc...
So far, I'd say this whole venture is seriously frustrating. But the council are insistent: we either get our act together, or the site is going to the developers.
Sorry I can't give you any positive feedback yet, but we live in hope that we will manage ourselves by the end of the year. Would welcome any success story to keep morale up.

Our site is owned by the council to whom we pay rent. Like alien we have a management committee which runs things and is elected annually at the AGM. It works pretty well most of the time although some are more committed than others. THe committee this year is almost entirely new and we have a lot of plans for developing the site some of which we have realised, others will happen next year if they elect us again.

As secretary my worst jobs are sending out the termination of tenancy letters and fielding the many and usually fairly petty complaints.

Hi Alien
I don't think your local council can demand your site go self managed or else its the developers. contact
ari@farmgarden.org.uk they will advise you.

Hi Mushy Pea
Contact ari@farmgarden.org.uk, Deborah Burn will send you info on self management.

Thank you everyone for your views.

Our Committee brought in someone from a neighbouring allotment site that has been self managed for 3 years to give his advice - pro's & cons etc.
I think it sounds as though it could be a good idea. Our local council is going to be disbanded and we will be run by the County Council next year so people are fearful that the rents will rise.

The agreement is only for 7 years and either party (Council or us) can decide to cancel it giving a months notice.

Luckily we do have a strong core nucleus as Trevor_D suggests we need.

The only controversial point brought up was regarding all plots to have the same rent regardless of size. I can see trouble ahead on that one.  :(

Thank you Squashman I'll contact Deborah for more information.

MP

Regarding size/rents issue, the easy way round is to measure the plots and charge by the square yard or metre! Keeps it fair all the way then.

A one month Notice period? Barmy.

You need a proper Lease.

Down here in R B Kingston upon Thames there is a mix of self managing and Council run sites.  All the self managing ones have proper Leases.