Gardeners to see rent rise for allotments

FIRST PRICE INCREASE IN THREE YEARS FOR GATESHEAD

ALLOTMENT holders in Gateshead are set to see their rents rise for the first time in three years after the council carried out a review of fees.

The report to the authority’s cabinet says rents can be increased once every three years with the next rise due in April 2019.

Mike Barker, the authority’s strategic director of corporate services has governance, recommended that cabinet vote through increases to the yearly rates in line with the rise of inflation.

His report said: “The council continues to subsidise the cost of allotments, although the subsidy was reduced significantly following the rent increase in 2016. The proposed rent increases would contribute toward reducing the subsidy further.”

The new yearly rates would see rent for a 200 metre squared plot increase from £38 to £42, an ‘average’ sized allotment of between 201 and 300 metres squared will increase from £52 to £57, and a larger plot of 301 to 400 metres squared will jump from £70 to £77.

Gateshead Council looked at other options of not carrying out a rent review, which it discounted because that would mean losing out on the opportunity to reduce the allotment subsidy.

It could have increased rents above inflation, but this was deemed “excessive” following price hikes in 2016.

The document also revealed what green fingered gardeners across the North East are paying for their plots.

In Durham, a 200 metre squared plot will set you back £47 per year, while in South Tyneside costs start at £64 and can be as much as £95, in neighbouring North Tyneside growers pay up to £76.

A 201 to 300 metre squared patch costs Durham gardeners £49 to £51, those in South Tyneside pay between £90 and £118 and in North Tyneside rents range from £76 to £114.

The largest plots of up to 400 metre squared cost between £53 and £55 in Durham, allotment holders in South Tyneside pay between £125 to £139 per year and in North Tyneside costs start at £114 and go as high as £152.

Newcastle City Council could only give an average allotment rent of £50 per year.

Gateshead Council owns and manages 59 allotment sites with 1,310 plots and currently collects £50,000 in rent per year.

It spends in the region of £50,000 maintaining them and last tax year staffing costs were £60,000.

This means the council is “in effect subsidising the provision of allotments to the value of £60,000.”

Gateshead Council’s website revealed more than 50% of allotments are managed by allotments societies.

Members of Gateshead Council’s cabinet will vote on recommendations of the report on Tuesday.