Residents’ plea for better council support of town allotments

Residents have made a second plea to the council for more support to be given to the town’s allotments, which they say are a valuable asset which could help with the cost-of-living crisis and biodiversity.

At the Asset Management and Amenities meeting on Monday 5th June, allotment tenant, Judith Gradwell, addressed councillors asking for their support with watering supplies and a wood chipping solution to minimise bonfires, and reminded them of requests she made at a meeting last August some of which, she says, are still yet to be actioned by the council.

Judith said, “The climate is changing. We had rain virtually every day of March and April which meant that most people on the allotments didn’t start planting until well into May. Since then, we have had no rain at all. Contrary to my tenancy agreement that says I can’t use a hosepipe, I am now connecting the hose to the tap which is a considerable distance on my allotment and filling up my water butts, otherwise I would not be able to produce anything this spring.”

Asking for a wood chipping solution, Judith said, “I try to put everything back into my allotment. I manage to do that with virtually everything except woody material. I can compost all waste, I can compost greens, I use grass cuttings for spreading and mulch but I can’t get rid of woody material, so I did ask [last August] whether the council would help by chipping some of this woody material and letting me have the resulting mulch for my allotment. I was told that the council neither has a chipper nor hires one. I don’t know what the council does with its woody base but certainly the outcome from chipping is very good horticultural material and should be being used.

Real asset 

“Please could you think of your allotments as a real asset, this is one of your main assets in the town and make sure we are making much better use of them than we are at present.”

A second resident also highlighted that the council could be making better use of the underused allotments and raised concern about the lack of council inspections.

Melksham resident Ian Cardy said, “If you think about it, you have got a small farm. You have got 149 allotments, that’s probably 30 acres, so you are running a small farm and I gather you are not running it very well. There is a waiting list and there are people on the allotments who are not using them properly. How many people have been notified that their lease has stopped because they are not managing their allotment properly in the past year?”

Urging the council to support the requests cllr Sue Mortimer said, “On Panorama tonight there is a programme on processed foods and it really is an eye opener. As a council we ought to encourage allotment owners and support and help them in any way because they are producing the most natural food. I would like to see us get behind them more.”

Inspections

Following Judith Gradwell’s requests last August, the town clerk confirmed regular inspections were carried out by the finance officer who engages with tenants before issuing warning letters. The finance officer was asked to research ways of improving cultivation of allotments and provide data regarding the issue of warning letters and notices to quit, referring the information to the parks working group. It was also agreed to research the installation of water troughs in all allotments, to aid the distribution of water.

Chair of the meeting, Melksham’s deputy mayor, cllr Tom Price, confirmed the residents would receive a written submission from the council to follow their requests.

These concerns for the allotments follow news earlier this year of the increase in plot rents, from £40 to £50 for a full plot and £20 to £25 for a half plot. Some councillors felt the rise in price would encourage people to utilise their plots more, however others were concerned this would ‘push people’ off the site.