Agenda item

Purpose: To consider a presentation by Newbury Town Council on the potential for allotments and other land owned by local councils to contribute to local food production.

To consider the draft recommendations within the report from the Greener Select Committee’s review into local food and propose any amendments.

Representatives from Newbury Town Council attended the meeting to inform the Greener Select Committee’s review into local food production by providing information on allotments. 

Members were informed that Newbury Town Council was undertaking a project called Sustainable Newbury that contained elements looking at local food production.  As well as this project the Town Council also ran a number of allotments.

The Town Council had produced an allotment strategy and were committed to promoting healthy living through the development and management of six allotment sites in Newbury.  The Town Council worked to improve the allotment sites and their management. 

Members were informed that there used to be a large waiting list for allotments but this had dropped over the past few months, although the waiting list had begun to rise again.  There were two main factors that could have been the cause of the fall in the waiting list: a number of the allotment plots had been reduced in size that resulted in more plots being available and there had been an increase in the cost of renting a plot. 

The Town Council felt that allotment owners got good value for money from the rent and there had recently been improvements to the security of sites.  The recent increase in the rent had not prevented people getting an allotment and although payments could be spread over a year most people paid their annual rent in full in one go.

As well as renting allotments to residents the Town Council also worked with local schools, people with mental health conditions and people on drug rehabilitation courses. 

Members were also informed how the South Newbury Allotments Tenants Association was the largest in the area and worked together to bulk-buy materials and share produce. 

Newbury Town Council had also established the Growing in the Community initiative to alleviate concern that some of the allotments were becoming run down.  The initiative allowed local tenant associations to take over the management and maintenance of allotments if it was felt that the Town Council was not meeting its obligations; to date no association had taken up this offer.

Members were informed that not all surrounding parish councils had allotments and thus some allotment tenants come from outside the ward area.  Members felt that other town and parish councils should be encouraged to introduce allotments.  It was acknowledged that the cost in purchasing land was a hindrance.  

As the produce from allotments could not be sold tenants usually traded excess produce or gave food away.

Whilst discussing the presentation the following points were raised:

·        The current waiting list had 73 people from within the parish and about 98 people including people from outside the parish.  It was acknowledged that there might be a number of people on both lists.

·        Some people had more than one plot and that over the six sites there were 560 plots.

·        The Town Council helped people make better use of their allotments and if a tenant was finding it difficult to manage a full plot other tenants would either help or the site may be split into a number of smaller plots.

·        Sustainable Newbury was a mixture of people who were interested in sustainability.  They organised a competition on how to be more sustainable; the winner suggested planting fruit trees on public land to be harvested by the community.  The Town Council were considering a pilot in Victoria Park.

·        Members asked if it was known how many allotments there were in West Berkshire.   It was suggested that the 2001 census might contain this information or parish / town councils might know.

·        Historically houses had large gardens to allow residents to grow their own food.

·        It was suggested that Newbury Town Council could look at having a charitable stall at the market where people could donate surplus produce to be sold with the proceeds going to local charities.  It was noted that current market stall holders would need to be consulted and a side benefit might be that it attracted more customers to the market.

·        It was recommended that West Berkshire Council should produce guidance for parish / town councils on how to introduce allotments.

·        It was recommended that a District Parish Conference should discuss sustainability which would also include a discussion on allotments.

·        It was noted that if 6 people petitioned for an allotment the local council would have to provide one.

Members considered the draft findings of the review into local food and recommended that the report progress to Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee with the addition of the recommendations from the presentation on allotments being added. 

John Ashworth informed that following the Greener Select Committees meeting with Kelvin Hughes, West Berkshire Local Strategic Partnership Greener Sub-Committee Chair, it had been recommended that the cost of the local food base survey be scaled back to a more affordable option with the funding coming from West Berkshire Council and the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

RESOLVED that the draft recommendations be considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Commission.