Page 38 - ALG Issue 3 2019
P. 38

     sites. They are often seen as an easy target by unscrupulous builders and cash-starved councils. We began the year with several ongoing cases, some of which have yet to be fully resolved, with judgments pending. Some are applications for disposal we have lost, others we have managed to save and congratulations to the plotholders
of Walsall Rd, who avoided being
made into an access route for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. That is one success, but Heathrow, Leeds, and other threats are on the horizon. Many new allotment sites
are being created in all areas of the country; this is something we should all be getting behind and working with local authorities to create – but we
also need to push the health benefits of allotment keeping. The Society have introduced Lantra training, beginning with rodent control, a long-term benefit for societies, particularly if you are self-managed and have to buy in the expertise. Look on the NAS website.
John asked the question: “Who do
you think should run your allotments? A management company with shareholders who are expecting a profit, your local authority, starved
of cash, starved of staff or you? The people on the ground; you may not know exactly how to do it, but you
will have an idea of what needs to be done. Working with local authorities and parish councils in a partnership
is the way forward, at the moment
– but I am in favour of allotments running themselves with long-term leases (25 years at least) under strict guidelines – which can be enforced
by the landowner (the local authority- NAS). All allotment sites are valuable local assets, but they are seen as “cheap”, some even have names that reflect this; “Poor Lots, Manchester” for one. Allotments have usually been seen as not worth anything; in the national consciousness they are cheap and therefore not valuable; we need to
change this perception. Your site should be worthy of inclusion in the Yellow Book, not look like Steptoe’s Yard. This is an aim we can strive for; we may miss the target, but let us give it a go.
Liz Bunting, Company Secretary
gave her report looking back over
the last 12 months, which has been very encouraging. “I have also been involved in many visits to different
parts of the country, attending regional and association AGMs, meeting with councils and allotment associations. This is a vital part of our work, listening to our membership. Members are increasingly looking to the National body to provide further benefits.
As more associations take on the challenge of self-management, the demands increase in volume and also in the depth of assistance required. We are working very hard to meet these requirements. For instance, at the moment we have 21 associations in the process of undertaking incorporation becoming limited companies, under NAS Sponsorship. This has been rather concentrated by the Financial Conduct Authority taking a huge amount of time to register our Sponsorship rules for
a single association. This co-operative model, how the NAS operate, is an ideal format for allotment associations, democratic management, structure remains the same, does away with
the requirement for the appointment
of trustees and all the problems and obligations that brings with it, and
also gives the organisation limited liability. From a legal perspective, in
the first 5 months, we have received 280 enquiries already this year. These are new issues; some will be sorted very quickly, perhaps over the phone
or by email assistance; others require detailed work, others may require work over coming months and some become ongoing issues for several years.
In your enrolment packs you will have a new Association Code of Conduct with
Many new allotment sites are being created in all areas of the country; this is something we should all be getting behind
guidance on Harassment and Bullying. The Code of Conduct should assist
the governance of your organisations. It is not compulsory but something
to take away and discuss with your committees.
As I have stated in the annual report, for many years technology has been holding us back but now, and you
will hear about it this afternoon, of
the developments afoot to provide
our membership with a streamlined service. At this point I must give thanks to all the staff who have gone through a major transition period, with the implementation of our new database, and to Sonia Gallagher who has guided everyone through the process.
It is healthy to look back and
celebrate success and we have
had a few this year: Cemetery
Road, Northfields, Walsall Road Birmingham, reduced Section 8 applications, and the numbers of
new sites that have been created throughout the country outweigh the disposals: the allotmenteers liability insurance take up and our partnership with Lantra. However, we cannot become complacent, we must move forward, and this is an area that the Management Committee have focused on during the last year. Strategic Planning 2019 – 2023. Within your packs you have an important part of the work already undertaken and we have decided to concentrate on particular areas for 2019/2020. The four areas we will concentrate on are: -
• Education – the initiative with Lantra offers further opportunities to develop educational courses
for members. We have also been working with county associations of local councils to offer allotments management training for parish clerks and this will continue.
• IT Development – further developments are in the pipeline for 2019/20. It is planned that our
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