Site reps & committees on Belmont, Cheam Court, Green Wrythe Lane, Roundshaw, Stanley Road, Westmead Road, & Wrights Row Allotments have plans to show all the vacant plots to people on the waiting lists that have been contacted and have shown an interest in the next couple of weeks. So hopefully by the next gardening Group meeting these allotments will be fully tenanted.
Jane our idverde allotment officer, is also contacting people on the waiting list for all the other allotment sites and is still finding that many people that jumped on the waiting list during the pandemic are no longer interested in having a plot, because the pandemic is over and they don't have the time or need somewhere they were allowed to visit during the pandemic anymore.
On some sites where the site rep is ill or there isn't a site rep Jane is meeting prospective tenants and showing them the plots.
Jane is chasing the Council for a date for the next Gardening Group meeting and for the promised information that has not been forthcoming from the London Borough of Sutton, since the last one in May last year.
Please look at the Contact Detail page on this web site to see if your plot has a site rep and if there isn't a rep and you are interested in becoming one to assist Jane in showing plots then please get in contact with her and volunteer.
Idverde are also clearing some of the plots that are covered in debris, weeds and brambles and are too overwhelming for new allotmenteers to consider taking on.
The number of vacant plots that always increases after the rents are due in October and the plot holders can't be bothered to inform idverde that they want to give the plots up. It's not until a reminder is sent followed by a notice to quit that means those plots don't become free until January/ February the following year.
In January 2020 there were 505 people on the waiting list in April 2021 there are now 1096.
The waiting lists have exploded due to the pandemic and people wanting allotment and growing space, for example Mill Green Allotment had 9 people on the waiting list in January 2020 rising to 24 in November 2020 and in April 2021 there are now 36 people waiting for one of only 14 plots to become available.
These figures are a snap shot in time as of the 14th April and I know Jane has sent out many invitations to view and has actually let plots since the data run on their system. It will be interesting to see if all of the vacant plots can be let in the next few months. Then perhaps it will be time to put pressure on the council to provide additional sites to accommodate the demand.
Second reminders with a 14 day response time are in the process of being emailed or sent out at the moment. Plot holders who have not paid following a second reminder will get a 28 day termination notice after which point their plots and all the contents left upon it will revert back the the London Borough of Sutton for re allocation to the next person on the waiting list.
We have been waiting for invites to be sent out to the 124 people that have plots waiting for them since mid last year, some Site Reps since March 2019, however the council were happy to wait and give priority to invoicing and collecting the rents.
Idverde are providing a single person for one day a week to undertake this task and the Adam Brind one of three Neighbourhood Managers for the London Borough of Sutton has advised that Site Reps should not expect the people on the waiting lists to be contacted until January 2020 to contact the Site Reps and arrange a site viewing.
Most site Reps and plot holders find this totally unacceptable. It's now the last week in January and we have obtained the updated figures, but are still awaiting invites to view to be sent out to the 124 people from last year and the additional 84 since September 2019 who could have already have viewed a plot, accepted it, paid rent to the council from October and have already had four months getting their plots ready for the growing season in 2020.
The total amount of plots with people just waiting to be informed they can view now stands at 208
The figures recorded here show an effort late 2018 early 2019 to turn the mismanagement of Allotments around that was succeeding as a result of properly resourcing in terms of time per week the role of Allotment Administrator. The results of reducing the time allocated by more than 50% is clear.
UPDATE 25th October
We have been waiting for invites to be sent out to the 124 people that have plots waiting for them, some Site Reps since March this year, however the council are happy to wait and give priority during the next four months to invoicing and collecting the rents. Idverde are providing a single person for one day a week to undertake this task and the Adam Brind one of three Neighbourhood Managers for the London Borough of Sutton has advised that Site Reps should not expect the people on the waiting lists to be contacted until January 2020 to contact the Site Reps and arrange a site viewing. Most site Reps and plot holders find this totally unacceptable.
September Statement
Until May this year great improvements were being made at getting empty plot filled with plot holders off the waiting list and then idverde decided to reduce Ramona's hours to two days a Monday and Thursday to work on allotments not only for Sutton but for Merton Council. As a result many of the non cultivation letters following inspections were not processed and everything slowed down, especially as we had three bank holiday Mondays in April & May. As a result the amount of allotments fully occupied in the borough has dropped from 17 to 12
Because idverde have not been processing the waiting list effectively (I've been waiting seven weeks on Mill Green for the next two people to be sent an email to tell them I have plots for them to view) there are now 124 people in the borough just waiting to be told there is a plot waiting for them to view and to take on.
Idverde are now (September 2019) engaged in printing and sending out invoices thus these 124 people are highly unlikely to be contacted until mid October and this is just unacceptable as the vacant plots will be even more overgrown with weeds.
The waiting list has increased from 255 to 429 showing that having an allotment is becoming popular once again, thank you Brexit Project Fear for making vegetable and Dig for Victory popular again.
There are now only 62 Plots in the borough on sites that don't have a waiting list which is better than the 119 but again this was due in part to one of the site reps advertising and drumming up interest. People on surrounding sites waiting lists need to be offered the opportunity to at least look at nearby sites to see if they are willing to travel a little to get a plot.
The problem is if idverde can't manage the waiting list as it stands they will not be looking to adjacent sites waiting lists. This is something that the Site Reps can do but only if we get an update on the vacancy and waiting list at least four times a year.
A huge improvement from the September 2018 figures below, well done Ramona & Richard at idverde and all the Site Reps that have worked so hard to fill plots especially the Site Rep at Demesne Road who had 63 vacant plots in September that number increased when some plots were not renewed in October and how there are no vacant plots and a waiting list of 1
As can be seen from the figures above there are 22 people waiting to view plots that are ready to be taken over on their selected site. However there are 119 plots with no one waiting to view, however the waiting list stands at 233 in the borough. So the next task is to contact these people and see if they are willing to travel a little and perhaps take on a plot that isn't on the door step. It's going to be interesting to see how these figures alter in the next few months.
The Waiting List and Vacant Plot lists were requested a few months back, but have only just been supplied as there is a meeting on the 11th September with the Local Authority, idverde and the Allotment Site Reps.
It's not good news, whilst there have been some plots let, too little appears to have been done to reduce the figures and based on the figures supplied there are only three less vacant plots over all but the amount of people on the waiting list who could be offered a plot today has increased from 176 in February to 184 in September.
Vacant Plots & Waiting List figures as at 13th February 2018, idverde are in the process of contacting all those on the waiting lists and putting them in contact with the Site Representative so that arrangements can be made to view the vacant plots.
If the site does not have a Site Rep a key can be collected for a small deposit and a plan showing the allotment layout and vacant plots can be provided so that a viewing can be made.
An application form to go on the waiting list for an Allotment plot can be downloaded here
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