A Hastings allotment site (photo: HBC).

Allotments furore launches silly season

It was Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake who set the hare running on what appears to be a decidedly silly season story, namely that the government is threatening to sell off the nation’s allotments. Hastings Borough Council has hastily assured local residents this is not about to happen here, prompting Labour councillors to accuse them of “senseless scaremongering.” Nick Terdre reports.

When Kevin Hollinrake asked the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, how many approvals she had given for selling off allotments since July last year, the answer was eight.

It was enough to spark a minor feeding frenzy in opposition circles, with Jeremy Corbyn, MP, co-founder of Your Party and celebrity allotmenteer, leading the charge. Sales made “the future of these precious spaces even more perilous,” he told the Telegraph.

To allay the fears of local allotment cultivators, the council issued a statement that, “Following recent news that the Housing Secretary has given councils permission to sell off their allotment sites, Hastings Borough Council would like to reassure residents that there are no plans to sell any of the borough’s allotments.

“Cllr Julia Hilton, deputy leader of the council, said: ‘We fully recognise the great benefits these spaces provide to people, from promoting physical activity and wellbeing, to supporting social connections and offering the chance to access fresh, locally grown produce.’”

There are 13 council-managed sites covering more than 30 acres in the borough. “Our allotments are a valued part of community life, and demand for these spaces remains high with over 500 people currently on the waiting list. This administration will not be selling off any allotment sites, and the Hastings Local Plan recognises their value and resists the loss of them,” Hilton said.

Protections

Allotments have protection under law and can only be sold off with approval from the appropriate minister. The situation was confirmed by the National Allotment Society, which must be consulted on any sell-offs. “We would like to reassure plot holders and the wider public that no changes have been made to the statutory protections afforded to allotments in England and Wales,” it said.

Nor has there been any recent change in government policy, a ministry spokesperson confirmed to HOT. “Councils have been able to sell assets since 2016 and these rules have not changed. They should only do so where it is clearly necessary and offers value for money.

“We know how important allotments are for communities, and that is why strict criteria [are] in place to protect them, as well as school playing fields.”

Sales approved  in the last five years total 42, according to the ministry: 12 in 2020, six in 2021, 10 in 2022, six in 2023 and eight in 2024.

Scaremongering

Hastings Labour Group saw fit to accuse the council’s Green administration of “senseless scaremongering and using Hastings Borough Council’s resources to spread misleading claims about allotments.”

“This is highly irresponsible use of council resources and will cause unnecessary anxiety to allotment holders, many of whom regard the plots as vital to their mental health and well-being,” said the group leader Cllr Helen Kay.

The group was “deeply concerned” at the use of council funds for political purposes by the Greens, she said. “The leadership would be better off focusing their attention on delivering the basic services that Hastings needs.”

None of the recently sold-off allotments are in East Sussex. The nearest are at Storrington in Horsham in West Sussex and Wye near Ashford in Kent.

See more information on allotments, and how to apply for one, on the council’s website.

Also in: Green Times