Club meetings...

The Allotment club used to be about organising an open day or trips out to gardens/orchards. Now it's because we have a Parish Council (our Landowner) who by their own admission know nothing about allotments and what is required.

One of our committee now sits on the Parish council and is our go between. If we can get ourselves sorted out we can become completely self managed and all funds collected from plot rents (minus some held back for essential repairs to water supply or boundary fencing) could be ploughed back into the allotment sites themselves (we have two sites in the village), to help improve facilities.

I've no idea if we need a committee for this or not.

Steve...

 

Another reason to need a committee is that Councils (not at the moment), Local Funding groups etc. can provide funds to develop facilities or support Flower/Veg shows etc., but don't like to deal with Individuals.
As a properly organised group you may be able to approach these type of funding sources.
It may be that you also want to consider Charity status to arrange a co-operative approach to sourcing goods and services. This would also require a correctly formilated Organisation

 

Steve, two bits of advice. 1/ Take up Shineys` offer of sorting out a constitution. 2/ Join the "National Association of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners".

 

Surely allotment rents are set out by law and paid to the council
Therefore NOTHING can be held back and used within the allotment members

I should think the idea of an allotment club, is a minimal private contribution to the CLUB, for bulk shared purchases, of say Manure, or hire of a rotavator
Or to go further, a higher monthy contribution, and run trips to other allotments. or flower shows, which would be more of a social than serious thing
At the serious end a comittee where people with disputes can go, and ask the comittee to have a word with so and so to express their views with a view to resolving
Personally I would like to share a chat and a cuppa in the shed with fellow allotment users, but not wish to go on a charabanc trip with them to Chelsea
Again personally, I would just wish to pay my rent to the Council and get on with it, then maybe as I knew others, chip in for a big buy, or hire of equipment, Not be committed every week to pay extra to be a member of the allotment site

I am sure your neighbour allotment holder, does not wish to be involved, they could not even agree about a boundary, without official intervention, so right away you have a split in the communitee, and an exclusive club would alienate others even more

Jack McH

 

Our local County council sold the land where the Allotments are to the Parish Council years back. I guess we are privately owned in that respect. We have set a club fee of £5, £2 of which goes towards NSALG membership,

Yes, my plot neighbours have declined to join at this stage.

But if we eventually go self managed, then dealing with the club would be necessary anyway, and the longer term plan is for fund raising to cover the costs of land drains, access roads, car parking which all costs large ammounts of money and as the Parish council have no idea what we need is why they want the club and for the allotments to look after themselves.

Steve...