Almost 87% of local authorities are reporting an increase in demand for allotments

A recent survey on the state of local authority allotment services finds almost 87% of the local councils surveyed have experienced a noticeable increase in demand for allotment plots.

The survey, conducted by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), found that 47% of respondents stated that their council plans to increase the number of allotments, up by 9% from the previous year’s survey (36%).

The survey also found that, with regards to the average waiting time for an allotment plot, over 58% of respondents reported that over 18 months was the average, which is an increase of 26% on 2021 when the figure was 34%.

Other key findings

Of the local authorities surveyed:

• 93.5% reported they have council owned allotments within their authority.
• 27% of local authority respondents, who do not currently manage sites, had received requests for new allotment provision.
• 42% reported they have an allotments strategy, a 6% increase on last year. Of the 58% that haven’t currently got a strategy in place, 60%, stated that the council is planning to develop one within the next 2 years.
• 60% reported they cultivate plots organically and almost 27% of allotment sites have begun to use solar power instead of mains power.
• Not a single authority reported that they would return a surplus through their allotment service.

Speaking about the findings, Paul O’Brien, APSE Chief Executive, said:

“This year’s standout statistics from APSE’s State of the Market on Allotments has to be the fact that over 87% of local authorities are reporting an increase in demand for allotments and continuing high levels of visits. This statistic alone demonstrates the ever-increasing value the public places on allotments; whether for exercise or recreational purposes. It may also reflect, especially in light of spiralling grocery bills and tightening household budgets, a renewed public interest in using allotments to ‘grow your own’ fruit and vegetables.

“Naturally, the booming interest in allotments across the UK has led to a burgeoning demand for plots. Despite the best efforts of local authorities, 33% of those surveyed reported having over 1000 people on their allotment waiting list. The surging demand is also causing concern amongst existing allotment holders, as is the reductions in council budgets, which is having an impact on the ability to maintain such sites.

“The survey identified that 68% of councils surveyed subsidised the cost of the provision of allotments, whereas the remaining councils simply broke-even. This approach recognises the public value of allotments and the multiple benefits they bring, which have only been increased during the recent pandemic, then they are acknowledged as being a key community asset and one which local residents, allotment holders and agencies across the country are increasingly helping to sustain.”

The survey findings will be the topic of discussion at the upcoming online APSE Parks and Greenspaces Advisory Group Online Meeting on Wednesday 24 August 2022. The event is free for APSE members. For more information about this event, and how you can book your place, please contact APSE Principal Advisor Wayne Priestley at [email protected]   

A full analysis of APSE’s State of the Market Survey on Local Authority Allotment Services 2022 can be viewed online here.

NOTES TO EDITOR

• The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is a not-for-profit local government body working with over 300 councils throughout the UK. Promoting excellence in public services, APSE is the foremost specialist in local authority frontline services and operates one of the UK’s largest research programmes in local government policy and frontline service delivery matters.
• For further press enquiries, or to arrange an interview, please contact APSE Deputy Chief Executive Mo Baines on [email protected] or APSE Communications Officer Matt Ellis on [email protected]