In the News...
A place to grow: a supplementary document to Growing in the community
Produced jointly by LGA and CLG, a response to increasing demand. Discusses waiting lists and how councils can work with others to help more people get growing. Can be downloaded free from the LGA website at www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication-display.do?id=9027596.
Community Land Bank
The Government has officially announced plans to help local people grow their own food, by working with the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens (FCFCG) on creating a Community Land Bank. For more details see the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens website.
Can You Dig it? Meeting community demand for allotments
New Local Government Network, September 2009
"This paper argues that the revival in interest in allotments should be harnessed.
We make a series of recommendations on how we can create, promote and protect them. Britain needs a new Dig for Victory campaign that recognises the myriad of positive outcomes that allotments can bring, that captures the public mood and which ensures a sustainable approach is adopted."
Securing food supplies up to 2050: the challenges faced by the UK
House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, July 2009
Acknowledges the important role of home-grown food and recommends that "When it has been established that there is an unmet demand for allotments in a local authority area, the Government should require the local authority to publish, within three years, a plan setting out how it proposes to meet the demand."
Wirral council faces tv shaming over allotments Liverpool Daily Post 21/4/2009
Why we forgot how to grow food The Sunday Times 19/4/2009
Landshare goes live. A place linking people who want to grow their own fruit & veg to space where they can grow it. April 2009 Article about it in The Telegraph 2/2/2009
Monty Don explains "how tenuous our food supply is" . . .The Guardian 19/2/2009, mp3
National Trust to give land for allotments
The Telegraph 23/01/2009
Helping Scots to 'grow their own' "The Scottish Government and other public bodies are to explore how surplus land could be made available to help more Scots 'grow their own'." Scottish Government News 16/10/2008
Return to the Good Life is the solution to the food crisis "People should dig up their gardens and start growing their own fruit and vegetables in the face of a looming world food crisis, according to the man who coined the phrase 'food miles.'..." The Telegraph 28/09/2008
Aims
This group formed in September 2007, to press for the provision of suitable and sufficient allotments for the residents of Wirral.
• Wirral had, at that time, about 400 people on waiting lists for allotments.
• Some of the most deprived areas of the Borough had no allotments.
• Allotments combine outdoor exercise with social interaction, learning and skills, recycling and the production of healthy food. They contribute to environmental sustainability and biodiversity.
• Local Authorities have a statutory duty to provide sufficient allotments if they believe that there is demand.
• Wirral's proposed new Allotment Strategy 2007-2012 contained no mention of long waiting lists.
If you would like help or information, please contact us at ttwk.food@gmail.com
Extended aims
TTWK originally formed the Awaiting Allotment Society (AAS - afiliated to the Wirral Federation of Allotment Societies), to represent the views of local people on the waiting list.
The aims of this group have widened to attempt to offer resources for other groups wanting to press for more allotments. Links to publications, campaign material, resources etc can now be found at a new website www.allotmoreallotments.org.uk
Current position (March 2010)
An allotment society has been formed to develop a new site in West Kirby. For news on this click here.
Contact ttwk.food@gmail.com if you'd like to get involved in developing this site.
The Wirral Federation of Allotment Societies now has a 'find-a-plot' page to show which sites have the shortest waiting lists. See FAQ section of this page.
Campaign Diary
This is a brief description of our involvement. It neglects to mention the very significant communications to the Council from many other people concerned about allotments.
October 2007
• The first "written representation" (See legislation, above) was sent as a petition to Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council Chief Executive.
November 2007
• Wirral's Allotment Strategy 2007-2012 (This is the November 2007 version), presented to relevant committee. It had no reference to very long waiting lists, but was endorsed and referred to Cabinet for approval.
A letter sent from six residents requesting allotments is sent to the Leader of the Council. This remains unacknowledged. (June 2009)
December 2007
• A letter to Cabinet members was sent, expressing concern that the proposed allotment strategy had no reference to very long waiting lists.
• No response from October's petition, therefore signatures collected for 3 further petitions, all presented at the same Council meeting.
January 2008
• Transition Town West Kirby hosted a Food For Thought event, looking at the benefits of eating locally grown seasonal food. This included a talk by a local allotment holder on simple ways to grow your own food, and a talk about our allotment action group. As a result of this, many more people got in touch with the group, expressing frustration with waiting lists, uncared-for plots and funding in particular.
• Approval of the Allotment Strategy by Cabinet was deferred.
February 2008
• A meeting was arranged with council officers to discuss amendments to the Allotment Strategy. (Also attended by representatives from Wirral Federation of Allotment Societies and National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners) Following this a letter was sent suggesting amendments to include: (a) Statements describing in more depth current provision, waiting lists and lack of provision in some areas. (b) Actions to investigate potential funding sources, and address waiting lists. The main points of these suggestions were subsequently added to the Strategy.
March 2008
• Wirral Councillors approved the allocation of £40,000 to "More and better working allotments" (Council meeting, 3rd March 2008) Some of this was to be spent on an Allotments Development Officer.
• A letter was sent to members of the Culture, Leisure and Tourism Overview and Scrutiny Committe as background to considering the allotment petitions on the 12th March. Download letter as pdf file At this meeting the resolutions included: "That the new allotments officer be requested to carry out the following tasks: (c) identify any additional allotment sites that are required and areas which currently have no allotment provision...."
• Wirral's Allotment Strategy 2007-2012 (including amendments relating to addressing waiting lists) endorsed by Cabinet. (13th March 2008)
April 2008
The Awaiting Allotment Society (AAS) is formed to represent the views of those on the waiting list, and becomes afiliated to the Wirral Federation of Allotment Societies.
Wirral Council set up a steering committee to take forward the Allotment Strategy and to consider the role of the Community Development Officer. A request is made for a place on the steering group to be allocated to a representative of those on the waiting list - this request is denied.
Wirral Cabinet's agenda this month includes developing and implementing a Section 106 Policy. The accompanying Director's Report makes no mention of PPG17 or allotments, therefore a representation is made to Cabinet members (which remains unanswered). The matter is referred to the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Committees. Wirral still has no PPG17 or Section 106 policy (April 2009)
May 2008
Another group submits a petition asking for allotments in Thingwall.
July 2008
Letter to Councillors on the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Committees about including allotments as an issue in the development of Wirral's new S106 Policy. This item has not yet been addressed by those committees.
The lack of allotment provision in Moreton is brought to the attention of the Local Area Forum. Local Councillors are very supportive.
Oct 2008
Cabinet discuss a new Cultural Services Strategic Development Plan - "a proposed new vision for Wirral's Cultural Services". There is no mention in this document of any vision for allotments. Correspondence to Cabinet and Council officers about this, including a request for information, remains unanswered.
An area of Green Belt in Thingwall, despite being included in a petition for allotments (May 2008) is declared by Cabinet to be 'surplus to requirements' and approved for disposal for development.
Nov 2008
The new Allotment Development Officer is now in post.
The waiting list for council allotments now stands at 510 individuals. waiting list figures November 2008 This is an increase from 359 individuals (excluding private sites) ten months ago. The biggest percentage increase in waiting lists in this time has been in less affluent areas of Wirral.
Jan 2009
The Council's Culture, Tourism & Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee meet to consider a petition by local residents for the creation of allotments in Thingwall (May 2008). The Committe moves to ask for a report from the Allotment Development Officer and consider the petition at a further date.
March 2009
The Council's Culture, Tourism & Leisure Overview and Scrutiny Committee meet. Councillors decide that they do not yet have enough information to make a decision on the allotment petition, and move to review it in September.
Councillor Ellis asked for a legal opinion on the Councils duty under the Allotments Act to provide new allotment sites. The Director agreed to provide a written response to members regarding this matter.
Download the legal opinion on this from the Legal Consultant at the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd www.nsalg.org.uk
June 2009
Transition Town West Kirby and the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners have collaborated to produce A survey of allotment waiting lists in England This study looked at those sites managed by the principal English councils, and showed that on average, for every 100 established plots there are now 49 people on waiting lists. In the last major study in 1997 there were only 4 people waiting for every 100 plots in England.
Sept 2009
A meeting of the Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers two further petitions asking for more allotment provision. They resolve to endorse the development of the following five sites, subject to further work by officers.
• The Warrens, Thingwall
• Sandringham Avenue, Hoylake
• Broadway, Greasby
• Gilroy Road , West Kirby
• Mosslands Drive, Wallasey
What does Wirral provide?
Wirral Council's waiting list figures April 2009 show that all sites have waiting lists.
The map shows Wirral's allotment provision by ward. Expressed as number of allotments per 1,000 population, using allotment occupancy rates as of 30/1/08There is no national minimum provision standard, but most allotment strategies quote the 1969 Thorpe Report which recommends a minimum provision equivalent to 7 per 1,000 population. In addition, a study* published in 2006 showed that the national average provision was 7 plots per 1,000 population.
*Survey of Allotments, Community Gardens and City Farms, carried out by the University of Derby on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
What you can do
If you wish to show support for an improvement in Wirral's allotments, then please think about one or more of the following actions:
• Get in touch with us. Email: margaretcampbell@doctors.org.uk We can make more difference if we all pull together.
• Write to your own local Councillor - they want to know which things are important to local people. Find out who they are and how to get in touch.
• Send a copy of your letters to your MP. Angela Eagle, Ben Chapman, Stephen Hesford, The RT. Hon Frank Field. Address to House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
• Please tell us if you know of any unused Council land which could be used for allotments, especially if it has been allotment land in the past.
• Attend Local Area Forums. Each meeting has a public question time, where you can ask anything relating to the Council. The Council wants you to tell them what issues are important to you.
Resources
Download Wirral Council's Allotment Strategy 2007-2012 pdf file (Amended version, endorsed by Cabinet March 2008)
Wirral Council waiting list figures (as of April 2009)
If you would like to send your own petition, please feel free to copy and/or change any of ours wirral_allotment_petition.doc
allotments_environment_petition.doc
allotments_NHS_petition.doc
allotments_over_50s_petition.doc
Links
Wirral Federation of Allotment Societies
Note new web address - www.wirralfedallotments.org.uk
WFAS hold regular meetings for Wirral allotment societies. . . .[details of meetings]
National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners Limited
www.nsalg.org.uk
NSALG is a UK nonprofit group aiming to minimise the loss of gardens for individual use.
Allotmoreallotments
www.allotmoreallotments.org.uk
Pages on allotment news, local campaigns, legislation, allotments in Parliament, downloadable resources and links for groups wanting to press for more allotments.
Allotments Regeneration Initiative
www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari
ARI aims to publicise allotment regeneration and share good practice. Information about grants, network of mentors, seminars, training courses, local events, forums, newsletter, factsheets and information packs, etc
Local Food Works
http://www.soilassociation.org/Web/SA/SAWeb.nsf/localfoodworks_info.htm
Huge resource from The Soil Association. Covers allotments, benefits of local food, city farms & community gardens, community food projects, community supported agriculture, farmers' markets, funding, local food economies and much, much more.
Thrive
www.thrive.org.uk
A small national charity which aims "to research, educate and promote the use and advantages of gardening for people with a disability".
SWCAA
www.allotmentssouthwest.org.uk
Promotes the benefits of allotments and gardening and provides information, advice and guidance. The South West Counties Allotment Association aims to help all gardeners across the country.
FAQ's
Does Wirral have any allotment vacancies?
All sites now have waiting lists.
The Wirral Federation of Allotment Societies now has a 'find-a-plot' page to show which sites have the shortest waiting lists. www.wirralfedallotments.org.uk/findaplot.htm
The shortest waits are at the following sites:
• Carrodus - 36 Hoylake Road, Bidston
• Shakeshaft - 11 Observatory Road, Bidston
• Harris - 166 Prenton Road West, Prenton
• Mountwood - 21 Borough Road, Prenton
• Bebington Road - Rock Ferry
• Molyneux - 19 Moore Avenue, Rock Ferry
The longest waits are at the following sites:
• Ashton Park - 8 Westbourne Road, West Kirby
• Grange Hill - 19 Grange Old Road, West Kirby
• Newton Park - 35 Newton Park Road, West Kirby
• Belvidere Road - 17 Belvidere Road, Wallasey
• Earlston - 10 Earlston Road, Wallasey
• Landican - 26 Woodchurch Road, Woodchurch
How do I apply for an allotment in Wirral?
Wirral Council's website has a section on allotments and a
page on applying for one.