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Below, you will find the text of a presenation made to Bucksburn and KingsWells Community Council at their November meeting 2008. 'Thank you once again to the Community Council for having the matter of Allotment rents on their Agenda. I was asked to come along to night to report on any progress since the last Community Council Meeting. On the negative side, there has been no obvious movement by the Council. On the positive side, we have had some exposure in the local press. Garden News a national weekly gardening newspaper also ran a story as part of an ongoing campaign of exposure of scandalous increases in charges for allotments being imposed by Councils. A letter of support from this Community Council Chairman/person was printed in the Evening Express and the Beacon Gardening Club has also sent a letter. Grateful thanks to everyone. Simon Cousins, producer of the BBC programme Landward has expressed interest in featuring our dispute in the programme and has asked his production team to get in touch with me to make the necessary arrangements. Otherwise, I’m doing all I can to keep the pot boiling. I’m trying to engage Alex Salmond in the debate by email but without much success. I’ve pointed out to him that this is no less an important local issue than the ones he ignored in Glenrothes with the obvious pointer to the level of support his party may not get when we are next called upon to vote. I also referred him to the sale of Allotment Land at the Seafield Club in Aberdeen, which was the subject of an Audit Scotland report. Leaving apart the auditor’s conclusion that the transaction was flawed, at a loss of more than two million pounds to the City – in fact effectively a loss to the Allotments Capital fund, no part of the proceeds of sale from the allotments was reinvested by the Council in our Allotments. I told Mr Salmond that our feeling, is, that following that with an 80% increase in rent, is like having your wallet stolen by a window cleaner who then comes to the door to ask not just for his usual payment but almost twice the amount. I could have added and still not had the windows cleaned. Incidentally,it seems the closure of the Seafield allotments also distorted the income figures presented to Councillors when considering the budget . The allotment holders at Seafield were moved to Slopefield and were given a two year rent holiday as compensation . This will have artificially depressed the income. Drew Levy has talked to Ray Beard, Environmental Manager, Aberdeen North. I have also had an exchange of e-mails with Mr Beard. He has confirmed the rents are NOT being reviewed by his Department. It is not within the powers of his department to overturn a decision made by the Council. Mr Beard was to be meeting his head of service a week past Friday to discuss the points raised by Drew and those raised in the presentation I made to the Community Council last month. Thereafter, he hoped to be able to move these issues forward. Unfortunately, Mr Beard is presently on holiday so I was unable to press him for an update to present to you this evening.
As a direct result of this rent increase, the Allotment holders at Sclattie are to form an Allotments Association and the Bankhead tenants will be invited to join in. Thanks to the editor of Buckburn News for including this information in the current issue. Although the formation of an Allotments Association is a really positive thing, we have been pushed down that road because we feel very strongly that we are being victimised. Provision of Allotments is a no less valuable a service than any other provided by the Council yet where else do we see an increase of this magnitude where market level rents are already being charged? You will all be aware of the expression ‘beware of what you wish for’. In the final Allotment Management Policy approved by The Council’s Policy and Strategy Committee on 7th October it states relative to the 80%increase and I quote. ‘If this level of increase is not coupled with investment, there is a significant risk that it will be judged to be unfair’. Understatement of the year I think. I repeat what I said last time, if we are to be asked to pay top level rents, we expect to be provided with top level services and facilities. There is no doubt that we have neither, certainly at this end of the town. I also repeat that there is no justification for charging more than a pro rata proportion of a full rent for anything less than a full plot. The present situation is very unfair. We don’t want to constantly have to pester the Council for fair treatment(but we will if we have to) although I’m sure that I, if not all the Allotment holders at this end of town, are already being looked on as pests. That apart, much of the problem surrounding these issues could have been resolved had the allotment holders been consulted beforehand. We weren’t consulted and have still not been officially informed about increases in Rents. We weren’t consulted before the Allotments Strategy was finalised nor indeed told when it was about to be finalised. If we are kept in the loop, it will make things easier for everyone and I for one can get back to enjoying my allotment. If the Elected members present would take this message back to St Nicholas House, that would be brilliant. Thanks once again for listening.'
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