Page 45 - ALG Issue 4 2020

North West
Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire
Welcome to our new members...
Boughton Heath Allotment Association Chorley Hall Lane Allotment Association Cuddington And Sandiway Allotments Association
Padiham & Fennyfold Poultry & Allotment Society
11 Individuals
1 Landowner
Alderley Edge Parish Council Tameside Met Borough Council
REPRESENTATIVE
Mr John Irwin
16 Parkdale Ave, Audenshaw, Manchester M34 5LW
0161 3207779 nw.nsalg@yahoo.co.uk
MENTOR
Vacant
Contact diane@nsalg.org.uk
if interested in volunteering with the Region
A letter to my MP
I have been fascinated with the discussions in the House of Lords on the environment, agriculture and food, including value of allotments. I wrote to my MP asking if anything is being said in the House of Commons.
The speech that you sent was presented by Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb during the Lords debate on the Agriculture Bill on 21st July 2020. You asked if the Baroness got a reply from the Minister. In response to her words, the Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Lord Gardiner of Kimble, said:
“I say to the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, regarding allotments, that these are matters for local authorities. The decision to increase local provision is taken at a local level.”
I also saw that a good discussion on the benefits of allotments and the need for direct government funding was
had during the Lords debate on the Agriculture Bill on 14th July 2020.
During this debate, Lord Greaves said:
“What I want to do briefly now is to mention the importance of the range of small-scale enterprises that go under the name of allotments. A lot
of allotments are hobby allotments, but they are still very important as part of a food strategy because people are growing their own food which, by definition, is what they want and it is usually organic and nutritious. Some allotments are community enterprises and some are semi-commercial enterprises—small market gardens and that kind of thing. It seems to
me that there is huge scope for the expansion and extension of this kind of thing in peri-urban areas, as the noble Earl describes them. ...We need a lot more. In most areas the provision of allotments is a responsibility of town and parish councils. The problem
they have in expanding is getting the money to acquire land and lay out the infrastructure of an allotment, such
as dividing it up, providing the fencing and perhaps a water supply and so on. By the structure of the way they work, parish and town councils do not get direct funding from the Government in a general sort of way. They do not get local council support grants. However, there is a huge need for an expansion of mini market garden community allotment and traditional allotment provision, particularly in the areas around towns where not only can they provide very useful growing facilities for people but they can solve some of the problems of what is quite often a tatty zone around some urban areas.
I do not think it is his department, but
I ask the Minister to go back and see what the Government are doing under their proposals to regenerate towns, in particular left-behind areas such as the old industrial areas; specific funding for allotments could be given a great deal more priority.”
Other members of the Lords also spoke in favour of allotments during this debate.
The Earl of Dundee: “Small-scale intensive food production uses little space yet reveals a high yield per acre as well-evidenced in the Netherlands. Those examples are particularly suited to towns and cities where ground is in short supply. Green-belt areas could also be freed up for such endeavours. They would also offer quality outdoor employment for people in urban environments. ...Some of these projects might fulfil a social purpose too: for instance, city farms to educate children about animals and agriculture; and allotments, to which the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, has already referred, which can teach people about food production at the same time as allowing and encouraging them to grow their own food. Not least, they also enable more green areas in cities for the benefit of those living there.”
Baroness Boycott: “The noble Lord, Lord Greaves, spoke about the need for
Healthy food is
a public good just as much as our NHS, and if we had better diets, we would save that amazing institution about £2 billion a year
allotments and more growing spaces ... We know that we have terrible problems with obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. These are the results of a food system which is not working for us and our citizens. We have had a policy based on food corporations. Healthy food is a public good just as much as our NHS, and if we had better diets, we would save that amazing institution about £2 billion a year. If we ate more local and seasonal fruit and vegetables, and if we bought from local producers, we could also reduce our carbon footprint, at the same time as improving our health, our land, our mental health and the mental health of our communities, which, as every noble Lord will have seen in the last few weeks, is an issue of such importance to our country.”
In this debate, the DEFRA Minister, Lord Gardiner of Kimble did state that he believes that allotments are important but again said that allotments are the responsibility of the local authority. His Ministerial response to all these points was:
“I should also say that I have made many visits to allotments and this is a matter where local authorities should have responsibility, but if anyone would like me to use this opportunity to proclaim the importance of allotments, I take that opportunity now. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, and others for raising the importance of community projects, not only for working together but also for producing nutritious food.”
Barbara Keeley MP
So, we had the usual response from the Government; it is up to your local council.
Don Booth
Salford Federation
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 45