Hello allotmenteers, as you are no doubt aware, it’s been some time since I updated the blog. My reasons for this are many and I have no real wish to go into them now. I recently received an email form Councillor Colin Wakefield (Independent) regarding his efforts to “Put allotments on a proper footing”. It is my intention to contact Cllr Wakefiield soon on this matter and have reproduced the email below for your consideration and comment.
Dear Allotmenteer,
I came across your site whilst researching the various issues which surround allotment use, care and allocation. I am chairing a sub-group to look into the issues which surround allotments across all areas of Sunderland, including Washington, Houghton and Hetton. As I am sure you are aware putting the allotments onto a proper footing is quite a mountain to climb. As with most councillors local knowledge is confined to our own area, in my case Houghton and surrounding area. Most of these sub-committees are fed with reports authored by council officers and I am keen to widen this to include people who are best placed to advise i.e. the people who use the allotments or would like to be able to do so.
Would you be prepared to discuss your own view on allotments with the sub-committee? The committee is made up with 3 councillors, George Howe, Conservative, Jean Stephenson, Labour and myself as Chair, Independent.
If you feel unable to assist the committee in person, would you be able to supply written information? I am Chair of Houghton Residents Against Toxic Site. (RATS) I have included the address for the RATS web site so you can have a look at my background.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
Colin Wakefield
To be honest, the only reason I can think any politician would be interested in this issue at all, is the fact that an election is looming! Call me cynical if you will, but as I have said before and will no doubt say again politicians are only in the business to feather their own nest.
The subject of the provision, allocation, misuse and abuse of allotment space in the City of Sunderland is a big issue which is now (obviously) on the radar of local politicians as a potential vote winner, hence their interest.
So Councillor Wakefield, please keep an eye on the post for my comments, suggestions and general reply to your email.
Keep Ahad
I am sorry if my contacting you is seen as a political ploy. I entered politics in 2003 primarily to demonstrate the support the people of Houghton-le-Spring had for the work of RATS (residents against toxic site) the campaign group, who have worked tiredly and unpaid, in fact has cost us all several hundreds of pounds each to stand against the madness which is Houghton Quarry landfill.
A landfill which is a few yards from the Town Center, which can be evidenced on a daily basis by the smell and mud caked roads, the thousands of sea gulls and of course the less obvious hundred’s of rats, who now infest the area. What makes Houghton Landfill particularly dangerous is the fact that 3 million litres of our drinking water are drawn daily from directly under this stinking pile of rubbish. The sole purpose of including the RATS web site was to show my own and the other members of the RATS committee our commitment to our community. Anyone who doubts this can see for yourself at houghtonrats.org.uk
The landfill aside we face many other challenges in our area, one being the use and allocation of allotments, which I hope can be improved, for the benefit of all, not votes.
Councillor Wakefield, May I begin by asking you where you got the impression that contacting me was a political ploy from? I can not recall ever saying that to you on the telephone or in my missive? Please advise. As you can no doubt gather, I like many other residents mistrust politicians and given the recent revelations in the press can you honestly blame us? I value the efforts local Councillors (Particularly local Councillors) and some M.P.’s make on our behalf and I am sure this country would be in a far worse state if politicians didnt exist, however, I started this blog to try and draw attention to the current state of allotments throughout the city and the apparent lack of interest of the Local Authority in providing a service, which I remind you is required by law under statute. Please do not take offence, you are the first Councillor to show an interest in my (and my readers) interest in this subject. I have several friends in Houghton who have raised the quarry issue as a topic of conversation for some years, therefore I understand fully, and support the stance you are taking regarding the quarry(incidentally, I wouldnt like to be living down wind of it either). It was not my intention to give the readers of this blog the impression that your contact was a political ploy and I (and my readers in Houghton and Washington) appreciate your assistance in addressing this urgent issue. This matter is by its nature going to become political whether you, I or my readers like it or not, therefore I suggest we just simply get on with in and continue asking questions, even the difficult political ones untill we get the answers we need. It is inevitable that residents will vote with thier feet during the upcoming National and Local elections and I fear the two major parties will be the main casualties and respectfully suggest you as an Independant will probably gain, rather than lose votes as a result of thier (Labour and Conservative)inability to get thier own houses in order. Glad I got that off my chest……. Now to business, In my
rantmessage to Sunderland Council I have raised my concerns regarding the loss of allotment space over the last year and several other pressing questions. Are you able to find answers to these? Your help is much appreciated.Keep Ahad
Thanks for your support regarding Houghton Quarry. It was the opening 4 lines of your comment after the e-mail I first sent to you. However I agree lets get on with the problem in hand. We have now visited several allotment sites across the city, the film title ‘The good, the bad and the Ugly’ would go someway toward describing them. We have also met with allotment holders, so we can have both sides of the debate, Allotment holders and Council Officers. I hope to make an interim report to the Environment and Attractive Scrutiny Committee on 15th March at 18-00 in Committee Room 1 in the Civic Centre. Its open to the public, so any who is interested, please come along.
Colin Wakefield
Point taken Cllr Wakefield, I also agree it is time to get on with the problem in hand. Thank you for your invitation I hope you have a good turn out. As I said in my letter to you some weeks ago I am concerned about the closure of 9 allotment sies throughout the City and am wondering when they will be reinstated? do you have any further information on this matter? Furthermore it is imperative that you continue to give your support to the continued improvement of allotments within the City. The reasons for doing so are blatently obvious when you read the comments on the various pages of this blog, local residents are quite rightly annoyed at being kept in limbo on waiting lists whilst they watch valuable allotment space go to waste due to bad management. It would be interesting to see the number of plots which are currently avaiable! and if you also include figures on those plots which are abandoned, unattende etc in a sub catagory of allocated but not used, a true picture of the present situation would begin to emerge. When I spoke to you I was encouraged by your proposed plans and hope they come to frution, however, (and probably like yourself), I wonder whether this entire project is seen as a waste of time (by others), effort and money in the current financial climate? No doubt, the doom sayers and bean counters within the City Council will frown upon any effort to promote the betterment of something which costs more than the income it generates. I wish you well in your endeavours and I hope you can continue to keep us appraised of your progress, your efforts to solve the issues around alotments in the City are truly appreciated (despite the occasional ascerbic comment from bloggers like me) and I truly hope it goes a long way to reestablish the credibility politicians of all levels have lost in the last year or so. Please keep us informed of any actions you take, I am quite prepared to give you the space you need to do so, and a guarantee that any information you give will not be edited in any way, in fact as a gesture of cooperation why not send me some information/pictures on your work with Houghton RATS for publication, it can only help your cause.
Keep Ahad
Allotmenteer, are you still monitoring your blog…?
I agree with you on all facts here, on my allotment, (Fulwell Allotments) the so called officials have broken council rules by allowing a fence to be built on the dividing path between my plot and the one next door ruining my access to my garden.
Having contacted the council on numinous occasions and having no joy the fence is still there even though council rules state there should be no fence interfering with access paths.
I’m afraid all we have on this site is the BAD and the UGLY.
I have had a lot of threating letters from the officials over the last two years about this matter too.
Can you suggest a course of action to take.
Regards.
Stephen