Agenda item

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for the Environment which seeks adoption, for the purposes of consultation, an Allotment Strategy for Gloucester City detailing how the City Council intends to manage its allotment holding over coming years.

Please note that this report will be published as a separate supplement to the agenda when it is available.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Jim Porter, Cabinet Member for Environment and Mr Ross Cook, Head of Neighbourhood Services, to the meeting.

The Cabinet Member presented the Committee with a report which sought adoption, for the purposes of consultation, of an Allotment Strategy for Gloucester City, which detailed how the City Council intended to manage its allotment holding over coming years.  Overview and Scrutiny was asked, subject to any comments it wished to make to Cabinet, to note the report.

The Committee discussed the following matters:-

1.         Two Members reported that they had not had access to the Allotment Strategy papers until shortly before the meeting.  The Cabinet Member responded that he had released the papers for circulation immediately following a Cabinet pre-meeting the week before.  It was agreed that this issue would be referred to the Democratic Services Manager.

2.         A Member commented that the document lacked clarity and had been left ‘open ended’. The Cabinet Member responded that the strategy had been deliberately left ‘open ended’ as the intention was to canvass allotment associations for their views on the draft document.

3.         Clarification was sought on the powers that the proposed allotment associations would have.  The Cabinet Member referred the Committee to the list of functions set out at Appendix 1 to the strategy.

4.         There was a query on how the associations would continue to operate if individuals left.  The Committee noted that the Allotments Officer would have a role in overseeing such matters.

5.         A Member asked how allotment associations were constituted and whether other organisations could be regarded as ‘associations’. The Cabinet Member replied that any associations would be properly constituted bodies established in accordance with the National Allotment Association.  He was aware of five such bodies within the City. Other organisations could form an association if the Council was satisfied that they could operate efficiently.

6.         The City Council’s statutory responsibilities were discussed with the Cabinet Member confirming that individual letting agreements would remain with the City Council.

7.         A Member requested information on the number of allotments that were not maintained and the number of vacant sites.  The Cabinet Member agreed to provide this.

8.         A Member suggested that the City Council’s Neighbourhood Officers could take a proactive role in identifying residents who had large gardens and who would be willing to make them available as prospective allotment plots.  The Cabinet Member responded that this was currently being explored.   The Member requested an update on this initiative.

9.         There was a discussion on plot sizes and the Committee noted that active measures were being taken to halve plots where possible to meet demand for allotments.

10.       Clarification was sought on issues regarding what could be grown and kept on individual plots.  The Cabinet Member informed the Committee that this could vary from site to site and was subject to approval by the Allotments Officer. Regarding livestock, the Committee’s attention was drawn to the recommendations of the Allotment Task and Finish Group in 2007 which had advocated that no livestock, including fowl, should be kept on allotments.  The Cabinet Member responded that individual associations might be able to agree adoption of livestock on plots, but that the final decision would have to be made by the City Council. 

11.       There was a discussion on the Public Open Space strategy which had referred to the identification of new sites for allotments.  The Committee noted that new sites were only earmarked for Kingsway.  The Cabinet Member explained that it was the intention to look at existing land to see whether any parcels could be redesigned for allotment purposes.  A Member expressed concern over the length of the waiting lists in some wards and queried whether the demand could ever be satisfied.  The Cabinet Member reiterated that new sites had to be identified from existing land in accordance with the Public Open Space strategy and that he believed the waiting lists were manageable.

12        A Member queried the charging policy for allotments. The Cabinet Member indicated that this depended on the size of the plot and that there were concessions for older people and for those in receipt of benefits.  He advised Members that the pricing structure was currently being reviewed with the intention of linking it to the RPI.

13.       The Committee noted that private allotment sites were not precluded and would be considered should they become available.

14.       The Committee requested that plot sizes should be examined as part of the consultation exercise.  The Cabinet Member agreed to take this on board.

15.       A Member commented on the practice of sponsored fruit growing and queried how this fitted with the strategy.  The Cabinet Member agreed to report back on this issue.

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND TO CABINET:  That the report be noted.