Farida Vis and Yana Manyukhina
5th September 2011
Dear Farida and Yana
Freedom of Information Request – FOI-1609 Allotment Tenancy Agreement and Related Costs
In your Freedom of Information request dated 30th August 2011 you asked the following questions:
1. Please could you send us the Tenancy Agreement that the Council currently uses for allotment plots in the Council?
Please find attached, blank copies of the current Tenancy Agreement and the Cambridge City Council Allotment Rules 2010. In signing the Tenancy Agreement, the tenant agrees to abide by the rules stated in the Allotment Rules 2010.
2. Please could you send us the previous Tenancy Agreement for allotment plots in the Council?
Please also find attached, a copy of the previous Tenancy Agreement.
3. Was the agreement changed following a public consultation?
The agreement was not changed following a public consultation.
4. Please could you send us the documentation associated with this consultation that highlights the change in Tenancy Agreement for allotment plots in the Council?
Not applicable.
5. Is the Council planning to change the current Tenancy Agreement for allotment plots in the Council within the next 12 months?
There is no plan to change the current Tenancy Agreement in the next 12 months
6. Can you please send us the cost of an allotment within your Council for the years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and what they will be for 2012 and 2013.
The price of an allotment is dependant on the size of the plot. A plot is measured in units known as Rods. A full allotment plot is 10 Rods. The plots are increasingly divided into Half Plots and quarter plots known as Starter Plots. The price of these plots is calculated as a proportion of the cost of a Full Plot.
Price per year for a 10 Rod Plot:
From 1st April 2008 - £29.00
From 1st April 2009 - £34.00
From 1st April 2010 - £34.00
From 1st April 2011 - £36.00
Due to a change in our billing period, invoices will be charged for the periods 1st October – 30th September. Future prices of allotments will be agreed at the annual Scrutiny Committee in January and any new rate agreed will be charged from October 2012.
There is currently no reason to presume that the price will increase beyond the trend in previous years.
7. Can you please send us the cost of using water as charged to individual plot holders within your Council for the years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and what they will be for 2012 and 2013.
The cost of water is now and was over the years 2008 – 2011, included in the price of the allotment. There is no additional charge.
As explained in point 6 any changes to pricing will be considered in the Scrutiny Committee Meeting in January 2012.
8. Can you please send us the rate of the discount available for renting an allotment plot within your Council for the years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and what they will be for 2012 and 2013.
No discount was available in the years 2008 – 2011. There is no policy change scheduled for 2012 and 2013.
9. What has the cost of waste removal been to the Council in relation to allotment sites for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and what are they likely be for 2012 and 2013?
Cambridge City Council provide one 6 yard skip per year to each site at a cost of £130 per skip. The cost of the skip is included in the price of the plot and no extra fee is charged to tenants.
This price of £130 per skip has remained the same for the years 2008 – 2011. Over the 17 sites we provide this skip to, the total cost for the years in question was £2210 per year.
If you are not happy with the way in which your request has been dealt with please contact Toni Ainley, Head of Streets and Open Spaces. If you are still not satisfied with the way your request has been dealt with you can contact the Information Commissioner.
The Information Commissioners address is:
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
Alistair Wilson
Streets and Open Spaces Asset Manager