Allotments 4 All

I feel like a rant but nothing will come of it, but maybe others can help make me feel better, or is it just our site?

Our annual rents are due and I have a 10 pole plot, there are various standpipes for use for running water and generally the site is very good. 

Rent has gone up from £33 (10 pole plot with water) to £50 for the year.  Thats a 52% increase in rent set by the city council (Leeds)

We all look after our plots and all get one well socially.  This is because many of us have spent a lot of time, effort and money doing up our plots and getting them to a reasonable standard etc etc

Anyone else had similar rent price hikes?

OUCH  :o

no where near that around here about 1%  ;D

Then again they don't exactly do much.....

Get together and use your comradery in letter, email and in person to demand to know why there is such an increase.     :( :( :(

In  April we had a large increase in our allotment rent, taking it up to £50 per year (inc water rate). It was explained that it was to bring us in line with other allotment rents up and down the country. Our allotments are probably  twice the size of yours. Many years ago we replaced the old water system ourselves, and now have one stand pipe between two gardens.
We get nothing in return from the local authority. Having said that, I'd pay more to keep my allotment if I had to. But don't tell anyone. ;) :)

Ours is going up this month from £22 to £24.  We are a self managed site with a committee so that may help cut overheads

Our increase takes the price up to £6.80 per pole. (£22.50, 60 ft x 15 ft half plot)  But that includes water as well.  Council run.  But that is still less than 50 pence per week.  There seems to be a big difference in what is regarded as a half plot/full plot from town to town.  If I only pick the fruit on my plot each year I would still be in pocket.  Its not that many years ago that I was paying £16 per month for a gym membership so that sort of puts it in context for me.  Now I get fresh air/exercise/food/friendship of other plot holders for under £25 a year much better return for my money.  ;D ;D ;D

We pay 22.50 for 5 poles in Swindon.... in Oxford I was paying 16 for 10 poles, and the Oxford site had soem communal tools, a yearly leaf-litter delivery and has jsut got a toilet... Oxford one is self managed, Swindon is direct by council. THat said, not really fussed, I'm trying to get another plot on the same site in Swindon adn I live so close that the lack of toilet etc isn't a problem, I can alsways nip home and go (and pick up the strimmer etc....

chrisc

Ours is going up from £24 (with early payment reduction) to around £80 (with no more early payment reduction) over three years.

Considering:
1/ reducing to half a plot (sure that if I was really careful I could almost grow what I grew this year in half the room - but that would not allow any lee-way for things going wrong)
2/ going back to hacking the brambles out of the mother-in-law's garden and growing stuff there, even if it does mean having to drink the m-i-l's tea.
3/ cultivating my front lawn (back has too many trees).
4/ getting a job to pay for it all (no, that would be a step too far).

Quote from: taurus on October 11, 2010, 06:40:21
There seems to be a big difference in what is regarded as a half plot/full plot from town to town. 

Full plot for us is approx 20' x 120' and a half plot 20' x 60'
£50 for a full plot with water and £27.50 for a half plot with water

I guess from reading the posts it is bringing it in-line with others nationally and I do agree it is still value for money for what we get out of it, just a very steep rise for 1 year in my opinion

Eeek! Hope nobody from Tadcaster reads what nearby Leeds are doing! Ours went up to £20 this year (no water, mind you). :(

rog_pete, that's quite an increase all in one go.  If you're interested there may be grounds to challenge how soon they can impose the increase.

How much notice did the council give?  What does your Tenancy Agreement say about the Council increasing the rent?  Did the Council negotiate with your site association and offer any alternatives?

Sorry.. but I think £50 a year is more than reasonable, even if youre on the dole!

Mine is £39.50, large plots are £53.50, I reckon we get a bargain.

Quote from: Unwashed on October 11, 2010, 18:22:15
rog_pete, that's quite an increase all in one go.  If you're interested there may be grounds to challenge how soon they can impose the increase.

How much notice did the council give?  What does your Tenancy Agreement say about the Council increasing the rent?  Did the Council negotiate with your site association and offer any alternatives?

The only notice given is with a letter attached to the side of the allotment shed and requesting that subs are paid at the end of the month.  I shall have to read the agreement in more detail to see if there is a clause.  As far as I am aware there has been no negotiation, I shall be asking the committee and also emailing the parks warden at the council for clarification.

Lewisc... I have no issues with paying for a plot, I am only asking if the price hike is unreasonable from others having an experience.  For info one is not on the dole either (not that I think that has any relevance)

Yes I sympathise. It's a very sudden and large increase. It would have been better if they'd staggered increases over time.

But we do live in difficult times for councils who are having their budgets slashed, and running allotment services adds up over a whole borough.

We've been warned that the council needs to find savings or other ways to cut back on the level of subsidy, and we're paying less per pole than others in the region. So I reckon we'll be in the same boat next year.  :(

There is an argument to be made for rents to go up but the reasonable approach is for the council to talk to the allotmenteers and investigate all the options.  Self-management is the obvious option as it saves the tax-payer a shed-load of cash and it's good for people to be responsible for themselves.  If the allotmenteers don't want to help themselves then fine, charge them a commercial rate, but it's only fair to consider the options.

Incidentally, parish councils set their own precept so they don't see much slashing.  Newbury Town Councul put their precept up 7% last year.

The point here is that the council is bound by the Tenancy Agreement just as we are as tenants.  It's not acceptable for a tenant to break the rules, and it's just as unacceptable for the council to break the Agreement.

To increase the rent at all the Agreement must have a rent review term because such a term is not implied by common law.

And the term must also be fair under the unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.  So all things considered it has to give the tenant enough notice to quit their tenancy without loss, and given the nature of allotmenteering that will take 12 months to wind down the operation.  And if the rent review term isn't fair it's unenforceable.

I realise that the increase is a large one but my guess is that the water bill for this year was a large one as well.  But I do feel people have a right to know what public money is being spent on.

Yes I agree. One way to find out more about what money is spent on, and to get the council to discuss options before imposing change, is to have a pro-active site committee, and send people to regular meetings with the relevant council dept.

They won't get round to chasing us up to discuss stuff with us, unless they have a particular urge to improve the situation. Mostly they'll just be getting on with the day-to-day and we're out of sight, out of mind.

I have my allotment since 2008, the 3rd year now and the rent has pumped up from £31.00 to £39.50 this year and will be up £47.00 next year, the size of the plot that I have was class as Medium plots (180-269 sq.yds). The Bristol Council's letter stated that the increase is an above inflationary one as agreed by Cabinet and the Allotments Panel in order to maintain staffing levels and maintenance of sites. In this raising rate I guess the staff themselves end up digging all the plots themselves... who will pay about hundred quits to labour for nothing...

Quote from: vegetplotlot on October 18, 2010, 01:27:41
I have my allotment since 2008, the 3rd year now and the rent has pumped up from £31.00 to £39.50 this year and will be up £47.00 next year, the size of the plot that I have was class as Medium plots (180-269 sq.yds). The Bristol Council's letter stated that the increase is an above inflationary one as agreed by Cabinet and the Allotments Panel in order to maintain staffing levels and maintenance of sites. In this raising rate I guess the staff themselves end up digging all the plots themselves... who will pay about hundred quits to labour for nothing...

Does your Tenancy Agreement allow the Council to make this rent increase?  Were you given sufficient notice?

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Does your Tenancy Agreement allow the Council to make this rent increase?  Were you given sufficient notice?
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The point is the rate fly high within the recent three years and will be continue in the future.... another point is as said in the Council letter (the increase is agreed by Cabinet and the Allotment Panel), who am I have a say to... the Cabinet (at the moement everything either cut or offical raise the rate).... the Allotment Panel (the council itself).... Ya while we have the payment notice they already declare the next year rate, we have a year notice but the increase rate is far too high.... I need a ranting channel like this ....