Allotments on the One Show, Greenwich allotmenteers fight 200% rent hike Options

[Simon Kirby]

I mentioned the other day about the plans of Greenwich Council to increase their allotment rents by 200%, and they were featured on the One Show last night - item starts 1 minute 45 seconds in.

Tenants there are facing a 200% rent increase - that would increase the cost of a standard plot from £67 to £200. Greenwich allotmenteers are fighting the increase on the basis of a 1982 High Court decision which requires councils to apply the same subsidy to allotments as it does to its other leisure services. There are a number of councils who are looking at similar price hikes, not least Newbury Town Council who have already proposed that a standard plot should cost £250, and similar legal challenges seem likely.

The significant difference between Greenwich and Newbury is that Greenwich is actively encouraging its sites to self-manage to avoid the increase:

The Council is very keen on the idea of sites moving to self-managed status. Self-managed sites would be able to set their own rents and manage their own maintenance

Newbury Town Council admit that their administration of their service costs the tax-payer around £80 per plot, and this compares rather poorly with commercial administration at around £8 per plot, and self-managed administration at around £2 per plot. I understand that an allotments management company has already made a formal approach to the Town Council to take on the management of the Council's six sites which would save the tax payer at least £40k by the Council's reckoning, and more likely twice that, with no increase in rent for the allotmenteers. It will be very interesting to see how the Town Council respond.

[panda]

zero %...zero%...not £250. Twisting the facts again are we Simon

[Andy Capp]

zero %...zero%...not £250. Twisting the facts again are we Simon

Simon said the council have a proposal to take rents to £250.00. He didn't say the rent will be £250.00 next year. I suggest you are the one twisting things.

[panda]

Simon said the council have a proposal to take rents to £250.00. He didn't say the rent will be £250.00 next year. I suggest you are the one twisting things.

As you say, Simon said the council have a proposal to take the rents to £250. Now he is saying that the proposal was last year. So what happened to that proposal???. Are we talking about currant events or something that happened a year ago?

[Simon Kirby]

As you say, Simon said the council have a proposal to take the rents to £250. Now he is saying that the proposal was last year. So what happened to that proposal???. Are we talking about currant events or something that happened a year ago?

Read what I said Wang Wang.

There are a number of councils who are looking at similar price hikes, not least Newbury Town Council who have already proposed that a standard plot should cost £250, and similar legal challenges seem likely.

It has been proposed in Newbury, it's happening elsewhere, ergo: It's likely to happen in Newbury.

There was a zero percentage increase in allotment rents this year because the tenancy agreement obliges the Council to give 13 months notice of a rent increase, a consequence of Trading Standards' enforcement of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, and the Council were not able to serve notice of an increase by February 1 2010 as required by the tenancy agreement. There will be no increase next year either because the Council didn't give notice last month - how could they, it would expose the lie that the 47% increase was enforceable. The earliest the Council can impose an increase is March 2013, for which they need to serve notice by 1 February 2012.

Of course, it's entirely possible that Newbury Town Council will try and evict anyone who asserts their contractural and consumer rights, but it can't be done - rights are rights, though sometimes you have to stand up for them.

[panda]

Read what I said Wang Wang.



It has been proposed in Newbury, it's happening elsewhere, ergo: It's likely to happen in Newbury.

There was a zero percentage increase in allotment rents this year because the tenancy agreement obliges the Council to give 13 months notice of a rent increase, a consequence of Trading Standards' enforcement of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, and the Council were not able to serve notice of an increase by February 1 2010 as required by the tenancy agreement. There will be no increase next year either because the Council didn't give notice last month - how could they, it would expose the lie that the 47% increase was enforceable. The earliest the Council can impose an increase is March 2013, for which they need to serve notice by 1 February 2012.

Of course, it's entirely possible that Newbury Town Council will try and evict anyone who asserts their contractural and consumer rights, but it can't be done - rights are rights, though sometimes you have to stand up for them.

Like i said ,that was a proposal a year ago, did it happen, NO as it been proposed since, NO. As for your interpretation of the allotment rules, well thats it they are YOUR interpretation of the rules.