BRAMPTON BIERLOW PARISH COUNCIL

Colin Earl 59 Woodfoot Road Clerk to the Council Rotherham Telephone: 07794 982 513 South Yorkshire e-mail: [email protected] S60 3DZ

Report To: The Chair and Members of the Council 6th February 2019, Item 9

Allotment Rents 2020/21

Introduction / Background: This report refers to the setting of Allotment Rents for 2020/21 which, because of specific legislation relating to Allotments, need to be determined and notified to allotment tenants by 31 March 2019.

Background Legislation relating to allotments is very old, stretching back at least 2 centuries, and is complex. Allotments were created to provide a means of cultivation for the ‘poor’ of the area, and legislation has continued to provide various protections for parishioners and tenants. In relation to allotment rents, a combination of the Commons Act 1876 and Allotments Act 1950 means that councils are required to provide twelve months’ notice of any increase in rent, thereby enabling anyone who does not accept any proposed increase to give twelve months’ notice to quit the allotment. Additionally, rents are intended only to cover the cost of maintaining the allotments. Within the parish, rents received and costs have generally remained in balance over a period of time. For 2018/19, £2,575 has been received in rents and costs are projected to be around £2,600 by the year-end. In 2018 the parish council took the decision to increase allotment and field rents for 2019/20 by around 20%, as shown in the table below: Type of plot Rent 2018/19 Rent 2019/20 £ £ Standard Plot - Main – Original Site 35.00 42.00 Large Plot, Extended Site 27.50 33.00 Small Plot, Extended Site 22.00 26.50 Large Field 550.00 660.00 Small Field 115.00 138.00

Rent collectable by the parish council in 2019/20, based on the new rent levels, will be around £3,100. Rents charged by the parish council are lower than charged by both Rotherham (£62.50 per standard plot) and Barnsley (£82.17 per standard plot) Councils.

Some improvements could be anticipated to be made during 2019/20, mainly to improve drainage, although its is too early to determine the scope and cost of any works and, therefore, to confirm whether the 2019/20 rents will fully cover any costs. At this stage, no other major works are anticipated at the site.

Proposals / Recommendations: Members are asked to determine the increase, if any, to be made to Allotment Rents for 2020/21.

Colin Earl Clerk to the Council