Leeds allotments: Complaints of long waiting lists and 'neglected' plots being left at Leeds City Council sites

Ian Turner said that he helps run a plot at the Seacroft Hall Allotments site but has been on the waiting list to get his own for a number of months.

Currently, he said, he estimates that there are 14 or 15 plots out of total of more than 30 on the site that are “unkept” and “look as though they have been left for well over a year”.

He said: “I keep getting told by the council that there’s none available but you can see from the state of some of them that they aren’t being used."

He said that he had spoke to another woman who had been waiting for a plot at a council run site for two and a half years.

Mr Turner added that on the site in Seacroft it is the discretion of the council to monitor the plots and provide rental contracts to those who want to use them. He said he believed that the ones left “neglected” are not being properly monitored.

"I don’t know what it’s like at sites across the rest of Leeds but from my point of view it’s frustrating because I want to get an allotment and get cracking and it seems that a lot of other people want to do the same.

"Since I’ve been looking after my mate’s I’ve really enjoyed the mental and physical health benefits it provides and you would think that the council could be doing more to make them available.”

He said he had asked for information about the site but was told that none is available, adding: “Looking at other councils in Yorkshire it seems some make information available such as how many are on the waiting list and expected waiting time.

"I just want them to be more transparent.”

At other allotment sites in the city there is a committee that runs the plots on the council-owned land and keeps an eye on whether or not they are being used.

Amy Elliott, who has had a plot at Burley Model Allotments for two years, said that there was over 100 plots on the site but that none are allowed to be abandoned as regular inspections are carried out by the committee.

She said: “It someone’s letting their plot go to wreck and ruin then they will be given a warning and if it doesn’t improve then they will be gone.”

A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: “The demand for allotments in Leeds rose during the pandemic and this has increased the number of people on the waiting lists. The length of time people are waiting for plots varies according to the sites they have expressed an interest in. Many sites have full occupancy with little movement in tenants, meaning that the waiting time is much longer for those locations.

“The council is carrying out a programme of work to ensure plots are being cultivated and maintained to the best standards possible, in line with current legislation. We appreciate how much benefit people get from their allotments and we endeavour to act as promptly as our resources allow to recycle plots where appropriate.”