Bristol allotment rent set to more than double

Bristol City Council wants to raise £55,000 from allotment rents, to help pay for a growing backlog of repairs

Allotment rents in Bristol are to more than double from next year.

Bristol City Council is raising £55,000 from rents, to help pay for a growing backlog of repairs.

Patsy Mellor, director of management of place, said the rent rises "will not turn into a profit-making scenario".

But tenant Ruth Hecht, said there was "no logic to the increases" and it was like "a cat walked over [the council's] keyboard".

There are 4,500 allotment plots in Bristol and the council has not increased allotment rent since 2018, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In a bid to tackle a backlog of repairs, the council wants to increase rent for a medium-size plot with water from £70 to £113 next year and £156 in 2026. While a small plot will increase from £50 to £69 and then £89.

Tenant Ms Hecht, said there was "absolutely no logic" to the proposed increases.

Patsy Mellor, director of management of place, said: "The council will still be heavily subsidising the allotments."

Jon James, Head of Service for Natural & Marine Environment, said the "reduced" maintenance and staffing budgets had left the service "just responding to effectively emergency work".

"We've looked at what investment we need to make so that we can start improving and addressing the backlog of maintenance," he said.

Ms Mellor, said: "We heavily subsidise the allotment service, but we've reduced that subsidy by about £55,000 by increasing the rent.

"It will not turn into a profit-making scenario. The council will still be heavily subsidising the allotments."

The rent rises were approved at a public meeting.