Wednesday 25 May 2011
Thursday 12 May 2011
Saturday 26 February 2011
Mentoring
Alan Hull (Allotments Regeneration Initiative) visited the site on 15th February. He walked the site with members of the Steering Group and there was a discussion in the brew room afterwards. He has invited the Society to bid for a Travel Bursary which will funds site visits for the Group to two self-managed sites in St Helens. The bid has been submitted.
The Steering Group is meeting on March 8th to review progress.
Margaret Jackson
Site Secretary
Alan Hull (Allotments Regeneration Initiative) visited the site on 15th February. He walked the site with members of the Steering Group and there was a discussion in the brew room afterwards. He has invited the Society to bid for a Travel Bursary which will funds site visits for the Group to two self-managed sites in St Helens. The bid has been submitted.
The Steering Group is meeting on March 8th to review progress.
Margaret Jackson
Site Secretary
Monday 14 February 2011
Mentoring
The Secretary has contacted the Allotments Regeneration Initiative (a charity which provides advice and support to Allotment Associations). Its North West Adviser (Alan Hull) has agreed to make a visit to the site and afterwards to act as a mentor to the Steering Group on Self-management.
Once Alan has visited the site and had discussions with the Steering Group, we will be able to post further information.
We have still had no response from the Council following the submission of the "Issues List" that they requested at the beginning of January.
We will continue to liaise with Malcolm Russell and our local councillors to try to keep the momentum going, hopefully we'll be better able to push forward after Alan Hull's visit.
Once Alan has visited the site and had discussions with the Steering Group, we will be able to post further information.
We have still had no response from the Council following the submission of the "Issues List" that they requested at the beginning of January.
We will continue to liaise with Malcolm Russell and our local councillors to try to keep the momentum going, hopefully we'll be better able to push forward after Alan Hull's visit.
Sunday 6 February 2011
SHOP OPENINGS
The Allotment Shop will now be open each Sunday from 6th February onwards from 12.00 to 1.00 p.m. (It will also be open on Bank Holidays and on Good Friday and Easter Monday - times to be announced).
The shop now stocks a selection of seed potatoes, onion sets and Dobies Seeds plus the usual variety of composts, fertilisers etc.
The shop is open to non-plotholders (who must take out free country membership before buying), however all plotholders who are "paid up" members of the Harpers Lane Allotments Society will receive a 10% discount on all purchases.
We hope to see you there
The Allotment Shop will now be open each Sunday from 6th February onwards from 12.00 to 1.00 p.m. (It will also be open on Bank Holidays and on Good Friday and Easter Monday - times to be announced).
The shop now stocks a selection of seed potatoes, onion sets and Dobies Seeds plus the usual variety of composts, fertilisers etc.
The shop is open to non-plotholders (who must take out free country membership before buying), however all plotholders who are "paid up" members of the Harpers Lane Allotments Society will receive a 10% discount on all purchases.
We hope to see you there
Monday 17 January 2011
Self-management initiative
SELF-MANAGEMENT – A POSITION STATEMENT
It is widely believed by both major national allotment associations (our own AGC and the NSALG) that self-management (i.e. the running of allotment sites by plot-holders for plot-holders) is the way forward for site management. Self-management would involve the Society leasing the land from the Council (at a pure land rent excluding services and management fees), and then sub-letting individual plots to plot-holders. Members would vote at the AGM to determine what services (e.g. water, toilets, site maintenance) were to be provided, at what level etc. and to approve a budget for running the site (which would include the payment to the Council). This budget would be covered by the rents and fees charged to individual plot-holders. The national associations argue that provided a reasonable settlement can be reached with the Council most societies would be able to provide a better service at lower costs than those currently prevailing.
Following the AGM, the Society formed a Steering Group (Margaret Jackson, David Jackson, Sue Colman, Glyn Platt, Gill Chamberlain, and Tom Riley) to assist the Committee in examining the benefits to the Society in Harpers Lane becoming a SELF-MANAGED site. The Group was invited to meet with Council officers (Malcolm Russell and Alan Crook) on January 6th to discuss whether such a project might be feasible.
From the officers’ comments it is very clear that (despite assertions in some quarters) no political decision has yet been made as to whether the Council will offer self-management as an option to individual sites, this awaits a discussion within the Policy Development Group and a decision by the Executive Member.
It is equally clear that the Council will have little or no funds to allocate to allotments and that if we remain under direct Council management, we can expect minimal services at best in 2011/12 and beyond, whilst there will remain strong pressure to maintain and probably increase current rents and charges.
As part of the preparation for the political discussion on self-management, Mr Russell believes that there is much to be gained from working closely with groups such as ourselves to identify the issues that will need to be resolved and the kinds of solution which will bring benefits to both “sides”. “Joint Working for Mutual Benefit” was a suggested slogan.
At the meeting the Steering Group undertook to provide an initial paper for the Council, listing the key issues (essentially a list of “who, where, when, how, what” type questions) from the plot-holders’ viewpoint. A joint meeting of the Steering Group and the Committee was then held on the 11th January which developed and agreed a suitable document. This was e-mailed to Mr Russell on 12th January. Once we have some answers to these questions we will be better able to inform plot-holders and engage them in developing the Society’s approach. If you’d like to know more in the meantime, please ask a Committee or Steering Group member.
The Steering Group has assembled documentation from the AGC and NSALG relating to self-management, and is now seeking further advice and assistance from appropriate bodies and to that end has contacted the Allotment Regeneration Initiative’s Mentoring Service and the AGC’s Regional Liaison Officer. We are also making contact with other sites in Bolton known to be interested in the self-management option.
We now await the Council’s response to our document.
We’ll keep everyone informed as best we can
Margaret Jackson (Secretary) – 14.1.2011
It is widely believed by both major national allotment associations (our own AGC and the NSALG) that self-management (i.e. the running of allotment sites by plot-holders for plot-holders) is the way forward for site management. Self-management would involve the Society leasing the land from the Council (at a pure land rent excluding services and management fees), and then sub-letting individual plots to plot-holders. Members would vote at the AGM to determine what services (e.g. water, toilets, site maintenance) were to be provided, at what level etc. and to approve a budget for running the site (which would include the payment to the Council). This budget would be covered by the rents and fees charged to individual plot-holders. The national associations argue that provided a reasonable settlement can be reached with the Council most societies would be able to provide a better service at lower costs than those currently prevailing.
Following the AGM, the Society formed a Steering Group (Margaret Jackson, David Jackson, Sue Colman, Glyn Platt, Gill Chamberlain, and Tom Riley) to assist the Committee in examining the benefits to the Society in Harpers Lane becoming a SELF-MANAGED site. The Group was invited to meet with Council officers (Malcolm Russell and Alan Crook) on January 6th to discuss whether such a project might be feasible.
From the officers’ comments it is very clear that (despite assertions in some quarters) no political decision has yet been made as to whether the Council will offer self-management as an option to individual sites, this awaits a discussion within the Policy Development Group and a decision by the Executive Member.
It is equally clear that the Council will have little or no funds to allocate to allotments and that if we remain under direct Council management, we can expect minimal services at best in 2011/12 and beyond, whilst there will remain strong pressure to maintain and probably increase current rents and charges.
As part of the preparation for the political discussion on self-management, Mr Russell believes that there is much to be gained from working closely with groups such as ourselves to identify the issues that will need to be resolved and the kinds of solution which will bring benefits to both “sides”. “Joint Working for Mutual Benefit” was a suggested slogan.
At the meeting the Steering Group undertook to provide an initial paper for the Council, listing the key issues (essentially a list of “who, where, when, how, what” type questions) from the plot-holders’ viewpoint. A joint meeting of the Steering Group and the Committee was then held on the 11th January which developed and agreed a suitable document. This was e-mailed to Mr Russell on 12th January. Once we have some answers to these questions we will be better able to inform plot-holders and engage them in developing the Society’s approach. If you’d like to know more in the meantime, please ask a Committee or Steering Group member.
The Steering Group has assembled documentation from the AGC and NSALG relating to self-management, and is now seeking further advice and assistance from appropriate bodies and to that end has contacted the Allotment Regeneration Initiative’s Mentoring Service and the AGC’s Regional Liaison Officer. We are also making contact with other sites in Bolton known to be interested in the self-management option.
We now await the Council’s response to our document.
We’ll keep everyone informed as best we can
Margaret Jackson (Secretary) – 14.1.2011
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