Fair Allotment Rent

[Dom2599]

Stick with it Dom. At least your Council isn't totally deaf.

BTW, Your Council doesn't have any alternative if they choose to charge rent in advance. It's simply no more than 25%.

I've had another email from them last night, the councilor is going to chase the quraterly rent proposal as he has heard nothing back, although he did say the process takes around 6 weeks. He has also jumped on the site manager for telling him she had been in touch with me regarding some breakins when she hadnt.

I'm starting to ask more questions now, but waiting for the answer before i move on to the next. The council legal team have gone very quiet after the initial we are right and you are wrong approach, i will start asking why they have not responded since the last councillor email.....getting there....slowley

[Dom2599]

Had a response from my latest FOI, details are;

A) Can you tell me ALL of the leisure facilities that are run and
or managed by the council, please include the following, but not
limited to;

1)Football pitches
2)Golf courses
3)Bowling greens
4)Hockey pitches
5)Cricket pitches

B) Can you let me know the fees charged for these leisure
facilities over the past 10 years including the percentage (%)
increases year on year. Please show these by individual leisure
activities.

C) Please supply me with the funding amount paid to Tees Valley
Leisure Ltd since 1999, year on year; including the year on year
percentage (%) increase.


The council response (as expected)

I can confirm we hold some of the information requested.

A) The Council does not run or manage these facilities.

B) n/a

C)
TVLL Management Fee – information relating to 1999 / 2004 is not readily available and will be sent under separate cover

2004/5 £1,072,181
2005/6 £1,073,007
2006/7 £1,102,624
2007/8 £1,152,700
2008/9 £1,202,815
2009/10 £1,273,550
2010/11 £1,276,103
2011/12 £1,219,756


They may not manage or run these facilities, but they do pay for these facilities to be run for them, at great cost by the looks of things...

[Dom2599]

Just been down the allotmenf and got talking to a fww plot holders, we got alking about the impending rent increase, i obviously started talking about the 20.99% increase, they suddenly all said 'no its not, its 9%' on quizing them further it turns out they had asked one of the plot holders whose wife is the mayoress, she called the powers that be at the council and had the answer in less than 5 minutes. If this is ondeed correct (will believe it when i see it) then job done, sort of, as i still see a 9% increase way above inflation and an 'arbitary' increase.

I will be contacting the councillor i am in touch qith and will be asking him, i will also be asking him how the council arrived at the 9%......heres hoping, after all it os better than the proposed 20.99% increase......now let me have another look at the figurss for last years 18% increase....maybe some mileage in chasing this one aswell

[Alison]

Got my bill for this year today and my properly sized full plot (no water, power etc) is £22.40 for the year, thought it was more than that last year but guess it must be the same as it was definitely over £20 so blooming good value if you ask me. Think the first year I had it the bill was about £17ish so no major increase so I'm well happy. OH's hobbies cost a LOT more than this and I wouldn't even get a single month gym membership for that price

[Dom2599]

Got my bill for this year today and my properly sized full plot (no water, power etc) is £22.40 for the year, thought it was more than that last year but guess it must be the same as it was definitely over £20 so blooming good value if you ask me. Think the first year I had it the bill was about £17ish so no major increase so I'm well happy. OH's hobbies cost a LOT more than this and I wouldn't even get a single month gym membership for that price

Hi Alison,

That is excellent value! my full plot last year was £81 and it is going up to £98 this year...we have one tap between 120 plots, which is close enough for the first 5 plots to use easliy

I have had another email from my council after i queried another plot holder stating the rent is 9% this year, it has been confirmed that this is incorrect and it IS a 20.99% increase this year

[Jamesy_uk]

Must preface this by saying I don't have an allotment yet but I am now in the single digits of the waiting list. The allotment I am on the list for is £59 for a 125sqm (5 rod) plot and It has a toilet, water and car parking. Around here 5 rod is classed as a single plot but the waiting lists have been ridiculous, I was on one list that went for 28 months to 60 months after I joined it.

[Aberdeenplotter]

just checked out the website of Alex Mullins who recently won a case in Southampton Crown Court against Eastleigh Council. Mr Mullins has compiled a booklet in which he lets others know how he went about things. He is charging £5 for the privilege. Don't know how others feel about this but I for one would be making the information available free of charge.

[alldigging]

Is it the allotment association charging the money as a fundraiser?
EastleighAllotmentsMain

I get a not found when I click on the link to find out more


OK it says: A portion will go to the Allotment Association and to legal fund
A2Q Bio DCM
but what portion?

There is the case report here
http://a2q.co.uk/pdf/creport.pdf
free

[Aberdeenplotter]

Is it the allotment association charging the money as a fundraiser?
EastleighAllotmentsMain

To me, it doesn't matter, the whole spirit of the allotments movement is sharing.

OK it says: A portion will go to the Allotment Association and to legal fund
A2Q Bio DCM
but what portion?

Doesn't matter, it still goes against the spirit of the allotments movement.

There is the case report here
http://a2q.co.uk/pdf/creport.pdf
free

Think so too

[Twoflower]

hello
My allotment rent is as follows
full plot 10m x 18m = £25 per year
half plot 10m 8m = £12.50 per year
other local sited just have full plots and charge up to £75 per year !!

[singleseeder]

Our Council presently discriminates against male plotters and doesn't give them a discount till they are 5 years older than female plotters. I can see that going as well but I won't be mentioning it because they will probably remove the early discount for women if I do.

Are they applying the 'sliding' retirement age of women that is in effect now? This will soon bring women into line with men. My retirement date is Sept this year and I'll be 61yr 2mth 2wks

Our council is applying this to the bus pass, so if yours is too, the allotment rents should follow the same rules perhaps.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Nothing said so far and I'm not going to rock that boat just yet.