Allotments "safe" following consultation on council duties

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative has welcomed assurances from the Government that the public right to allotments will be safeguarded as part of a government review of local authority duties.

The aim of the review, according to the Department of Communities and Local Government, is to slash red tape, giving local authorities more freedom from statutory burdens which means they can operate in a way that meets local needs and priorities.
The review led to alarm that the statutory duty of local councils to provide allotments (under the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, Section 23) could be abandoned.
A campaign was launched by the Independent on Sunday newspaper, called Dig for Victory, which is being backed by the National Society for Allotment and Leisure Gardeners and Landshare, the online service which matches food growers with land owners.

However a spokesperson for the Department for Communities and Local Government said:  “We will not remove statutory protections for allotments or any frontline services. However the Government is reviewing old and unnecessary duties imposed on councils in order to free them up from Whitehall red tape and as part of this we have published the full list of duties which includes allotments."

Meanwhile, ARI and its partners have responded to the consultation process on statutory duties set up by government. 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.