Calls to clean up 'lifeline' allotment plots

Allotment holders have warned rising rents, scrapped subsidies and long-neglected council-managed plots are driving away many people for whom gardening should be a wellbeing lifeline.

Campaigners have presented a petition to Bradford Council arguing that a flawed method of oversight and a failure to address long waiting lists are also adding to the wasting of a valuable public resource.

They claim some allotment plots have been abandoned for up to 25 years, attracting fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.

The council admitted it's had to make some "difficult" financial decisions - but has now pledged urgent action on cleaning up "overgrown" plots.

The BBC spoke to plot holders at Scotchman Road allotments in Manningham, where one group of women work with refugee communities to build friendships and help them develop skills and resilience through gardening.

While their own plots flourished with everything from wild garlic to squashes to a baby pear tree, the group said the wider situation was deeply concerning.

Tessa Wainwright said she found it frustrating to see empty plots become overgrown year after year.

"The longer they stay empty, the harder they are to bring back into cultivation," she said.

Campaigners want vacant plots reallocated quickly, and rent hikes reviewed before more people are priced out.

There is particular concern about older, isolated and low-income individuals and community groups being shut out from the benefits.

Yasmeen Hussain, who has grown produce at the allotments for more than a decade, said she feared having to give up her plot.

"Gardening and being outdoors help me manage my diabetes and improve my health, but the rent has gone up so much that it's becoming unaffordable," she said.

"I don't just come here to grow food - I come for the friendships.

"We cook together, swap recipes and share what we harvest. It would be heartbreaking to lose that."

Another from her group, Mollie Somerville, added: "We feel squeezed rather than supported.

"We've got women here who have never gardened before, and they find joy in growing their own food. It's a lifeline for many."

It's claimed some rents have more than doubled in two years, with allotments among the fees and charges Bradford Council has increased to claw back income amid its wider financial issues.

Some gardeners are also frustrated by how inspections are carried out and want greater involvement in the development of allotments policy.

Mary Kershaw, who presented the petition at City Hall, said she had visited colleagues at all 32 allotments across the district over the past year to gather views.

"My rent went from £50.50 to £101, and this year to £135.84," she said.

"Many plot holders have given up their plots, severely impacting their families."

She said many community groups found the changes were affecting their ability to carry out the "good work" they do.

A Bradford Council spokesperson admitted it had been a "difficult decision" for the authority to scrap its previous "significant" subsidy for the allotments service, which had led to rent increases.

However, it remains "committed" to improving the service and is investing £300,000 into work including the clearance of overgrown allotment plots.

"Our aim is to return as many plots as possible back into tenantable use for the citizens of Bradford," the spokesperson said.

"We aim to achieve full, well maintained allotment sites across the whole district."

A review of the waiting list last year led to a "notable reduction", the authority said, from 1,325 to 557 registered people.

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