Green Lane allotments among 18 sites to be handed over

Good life

Management of the current allotment service is undertaken by one full-time officer with limited part time assistance from the Council’s Business Support service. Most sites have a voluntary site secretary who, on behalf of the Council, shows prospective tenants around the site, lets plots and deals with simple day to day enquires. A limited number of sites have voluntary tenants associations who run site shops and offer gardening advice and support to tenants.

York has 1250 allotments

The Council is now proposing to hand all 18 sites over to a volunteer managed body. The precise nature of the body has not been confirmed but it is clear that not all allotment holders are sold on the idea. Some said that they would be prepared to pay extra to ensure that a professional management service was sustained.

The main concerns relate the ability of plot holders to self regulate.

It is not unknown for users to become quite exercised over what outsiders might see as relatively trivial issues. The BBC even broadcast a investigative programme in 2013 called “allotment wars” Elsewhere Councils have run for the hills having divested themselves of local allotments.

The allotment service currently runs at a loss of £17k per annum. For 2016/17 direct expenditure is £80k with income expected to be £63k. As a contingency, a fee increase of 27% was approved by the Executive 7th December 2016. The new fees would come into effect in January 2018 which, assuming no price resistance, would balance income and direct expenditure.

Until a couple of years ago all allotments  sites had waiting lists. Interest in some sites has waned in more recent months, although residents wanting primeplots will still have to wait

List of allotments in York

Where York’s allotment are located