'I'm 84 and my allotment means everything. Labour are about to take it away.'

Yahoo

3 days ago

Allotment owners are facing heartbreak after learning their plots are among those given the green light to be sold off by the government.
For 84-year-old Dab Abbott, his allotment is more than just a place to grow vegetables, but a vital part of his daily life.
"I go there everyday. It is better than watching TV day in and day out," he muses. "Without the allotment I don't know what to do."
But soon that may be exactly what happens, after his allotment site was revealed as one of eight across the country that has been given the green light to be sold or repurposed by councils in what has been dubbed as Angela Rayner's 'war on allotments'.
Ashfield Ashfield District Council said it had obtained government approval to repurpose allotment plots for parking - but does not plan to get rid of the whole site.
John Bennett, executive director of place for Ashfield District Council said: 'Following discussions with allotment holders, we agreed to repurpose two unused plots at Kingsway Allotments in Kirkby to provide much-needed parking facilities for existing users. This change of use was approved by the Secretary of State.
"This decision was made in direct response to feedback from allotment holders and aims to support and enhance their experience. The new parking facility has been completed, funded partly by the Council and partly by Lindum Construction as a social value contribution from their work on a nearby housing development.
"The plots are not being sold off, and there are currently no plans to dispose of any further allotment sites.'
What is the government doing with UK allotments?
Under the Allotments Act 1925, land that is designated "statutory allotment" cannot be sold or repurposed without ministerial consent.
Angela Rayner is understood to have approved the sale or repurpose of eight sites in England in order to raise money for councils budgets and provide space for the party's ambitious housing development plans.
The list of sites she has approved for sale, revealed in a parliamentary answer, includes:-
Land at Spaxton Allotments in Spaxton, Somerset.
Lant at Wallingford Road Allotments, Wallingford Road, in Cholsey, Oxfordshire.
Stapleton Garden Allotments, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
Ravenscroft Allotments, Browns Lane Storrington, in Horsham, West Sussex.
Longlands Allotment, off Longlands, and Longlands (Oxcroft) Oxcroft Lane, in Old Bolsover, Derbyshire.
Churchfield Allotment Site, in Wye, Kent.
Allotment holders at Kingsway Allotments in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire were also left shocked to find out that theirs is one of the eight sites.
A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) previously said councils should only sell off allotments "where it is clearly necessary and offers value for money".
They added: "We know how important allotments are for communities, and that is why strict criteria is in place to protect them, as well as school playing fields."
What has the reaction been?
Rayner has come under fire for the decision, with some dubbing it a "war on allotments".
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has used an allotment near Islington, North London, for 22 years, said the decision would 'fill many with deep dismay'.
Writing in the Telegraph, he said: 'Is this government going to put the nail in the coffin of the joy of digging ground for potatoes on a cold, wet February Sunday afternoon?'
Tony Tilley, 59, who has had a space at Kingsway allotments for six years, growing everything from potatoes to tomatoes, as well as sweetcorn, cabbages and carrots, said: "It is absolutely disgusting. This government - I cannot believe they didn't even tell us.
"What can we do? We are going to fight it as best as we can. I am absolutely devastated."
Keith Albon, 72, who has had his allotment at the site for 14 years, said: "I'm absolutely devastated that allotments are going.
"It is my basic hobby, I spend an awful lot of time there. Very important for my health and wellbeing. If i wasn't doing that I would be watching tv rotting away - that's no good to me."
How long do you have to wait for an allotment in the UK?
With figures from the National Allotment Society suggesting that one in eight of the UK population have no access to a garden - rising to one in five in London - allotments remain a popular way for people to access green spaces.
According to Oaktree Mobility, in 2023 the average wait time for an allotment was 37 months - with its research revealing that 111,566 people were on a council waiting list for the 121,759 allotments surveyed.
In October that year, figures shared by Greenpeace suggested that the number of people waiting for an allotment had doubled in the previous 12 years - rising to 157,830 applications on waiting lists.
Watch: Furious residents vow to fight back on Angela Rayner's 'war on allotments'
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