Allotment Provision Under Review

The statutory duty of local councils to provide allotments (under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, Section 23) is being looked at looked at as part of the coalition government's review of all statutory duties placed on local councils.

The aim, according to Communities and Local Government, is to give local authorities freedom to operate in a way that meets local needs and priorities, by assessing which statutory duties are essential and should remain, and which are no longer needed and could be removed.

Anyone interested in allotments is being encouraged to give their views on this issue. To find out more visit this Statutory Duties Review page of the CLG website. The consultation exercise closes on 25 April 2011.

For information: There are two excel documents on the above webpage which list all of the statutory duties being reviewed, you need to go to the document called "Review of statutory duties - DCLG owned (7 March 2011)" and then go to Row 137 to view the information about the 1908 Act. [Please note the information provided, in column G of row 137, about "Allotments - A Plotholder's Guide" is incorrect: It is not "archived" as stated, the Department itself contracted ARI to revise the guide in 2007 and it is available free from the ARI website].