Redcar & Cleveland Council grapples with allotment-based arson, theft and fly-tipping
Problems with theft, arson, vandalism and fly tipping are continuing to plague many council-owned allotments in Redcar and Cleveland.
Despite this, a healthy waiting list has been revealed in terms of members of the public waiting to rent a plot.
A report covering Councillor Adam Brook’s neighbourhoods portfolio said there were “ongoing challenges”.
It said: “Theft, misuse, arson, vandalism and fly tipping continue to be a problem across many sites. Underuse or neglect also create a significant amount of work in inspections, enforcement, clearing and re-letting.”
The local authority has 731 plots in total that it owns across 14 sites, however the report said 66 were in a “critical” condition.
Aside from anti-social and criminal behaviour, other contributing factors to the poor state of many included flood damage and in one instance the discovery of a contaminant, asbestos.
The council conceded this service area looking after allotments were understaffed with no capital budget afforded for them.
It said: “The allotments require an assistant to take on day to day maintenance work and a capital budget to proactively tackle improvements.”
Instead allotment fees were used to cover costs – an income of £48,000 being budgeted for in 2025/26.
A ranger was assisting once a month to deliver community wildlife projects at some sites.
One such project in Redcar’s Zetland ward has involved students from Redcar and Cleveland college and community volunteers, the aim being to create a wildflower area to enhance pollinators and tidy up unused areas.
Wildlife areas can improve the appearance of some plots suffering from long-term issues and are also deemed. low maintenance.
A boundary fence has also been separately replaced in the same location with help from offenders managed by the local probation service, resulting in a “significant improvement”.
The report revealed that at the end of January a total of 461 residents were on a waiting list having expressed an interest in taking on an allotment plot.
It said a significant amount of work went into inspecting and clearing plots so they could be let to ensure they were in productive use and generating an income for the council.
Research shows that allotment gardening can be good for both physical and mental health, providing a sense of purpose and an opportunity to get outdoors and be active.
They are also a cheaper way to source fruit and vegetables, potentially without additives when compared to shop bought produce.
The pandemic caused by the coronavirus five years ago reportedly led to an increase in demand for allotments, owing to Government restrictions on where people could travel at the time and the desire to use local green space for leisure pursuits.