Dear Tenant
You will recall that the annual general meeting that was set for April had to be postponed at short notice. This decision was taken in consultation with the parish council following a legal challenge by a tenant. It was agreed that the parish council would review the legal position of the Elms Farm Allotment Association, and they asked us to only engage in further formal correspondence once it was complete. Although initially advised as likely to take a couple of weeks, it was only on July 13th that the committee were informed of the results and given the go-ahead to set a new AGM date.
We are finally in a position to provide you with an update.
When the current EFAA committee was elected in April 2023, our remit was very clear: to look at ways of revitalizing the Elms Farm site, foster a positive and supportive community and seek ways of enhancing the facilities on the site for the benefit of all. Committee members are unpaid volunteers with careers and home lives. We are also tenants and plot holders subject to the same rules and responsibilities as everyone else. We were elected with a clear mandate from those who attended that year’s AGM and with the support of the previous committee and the parish council.
Over the summer of 2023, we established ourselves, transferred banking mandates to the chair and treasurer, convened initial planning meetings to explore various initiatives that would benefit the site. Over the course of the year we began work on:
• Plans to improve security. We conducted an open request for feedback and ideas about site security, partly in response to several shed break-ins over the summer. We received some valuable feedback, which led us to create a proposal for security measures on the site. We also replaced a stolen lock and then arranged a lock code change as a small measure to help reduce the number of people with knowledge of a lock code that had not been changed for several years. This initiative is currently on hold.
• Adding a fourth water trough in the middle of the site. We gained permission from the parish council and landowner and sought quotes for groundworks and supplies. This initiative is currently on hold.
• Looking at ways to tidy the car park area, including a call out for volunteers that received only muted response.
• Making better use of the community block and toilet. The Men’s Shed group that uses one of the community plots submitted plans to refurbish and use the toilet block as a workshop and community resource. This was approved by the parish council and landowner. We are waiting on an AGM to present this proposal.
• Providing regular waste skip collections, manure and wood chippings to the site. This was established and is currently running with locally sourced suppliers.
• Setting up a dedicated website and mailing list to create more opportunities to share information with tenants. This is available at www.elmsfarmallotments.org.uk
After four months, the treasurer resigned without giving a reason, requiring us to make changes to our bank mandates, which slowed down plans considerably.
In November, we were approached by the Parish Council with a significant request. They asked us if we would take over the responsibilities of the allotment officer who was leaving in the new year. The proposal involved the EFAA:
● Undertaking plot inspections and reporting results to the council.
● Manage the waiting list to reallocate abandoned plots to new tenants quickly and efficiently.
● Looking at how the site’s rules could be improved and made clearer in consultation with plot holders.
It is important to stress that this was a unique opportunity for ALL tenants to significantly influence how the site is managed and run via the EFAA. There was and still needs more clarity about what is and isn’t allowed on the site. In particular, we had heard frequent frustrations about poorly managed or abandoned plots and complaints that the council took too long to evict the tenants of those plots. This was an opportunity to do something about those situations and much more.
The committee were given little time to make a decision, but after discussion, we agreed it would be an excellent opportunity for the whole community to have more control over how the site is run.
• The parish council formally announced the new management arrangements in January.
• We began informing tenants about our plans via newsletters in February and March (all are still available to read on the website if you need a reminder).
• We checked with residents on the waiting list and set up four empty plots with new tenants.
• We also looked closely at the site rules in Schedule One of the tenancy agreement. We wrote a more structured and comprehensive set of ‘Ground Rules’, distributed to all tenants for consultation, with the goal of introducing them in the Autumn of 2024.
Within weeks of appointing the EFAA, the council received complaints about the process and suitability of the EFAA in doing this work. A few days before the AGM, where we had intended to present our proposals and give tenants an opportunity to ask questions and find out more, a tenant raised a formal complaint about the legality of the process with the council. And so the AGM was postponed, and everything came to a halt!
Since then further complaints have been received, some including exaggerated stories of EFAA plans for the site and others involving personal criticism of committee members.
After 14 weeks of virtual radio silence, the council contacted us on July 13 to ask us to set a new date for the AGM. On July 17th, the parish council reported the results of their investigation to the Open Spaces Committee.
Much of this has now been formally acknowledged in a council report. A copy of their report is here, and, as you’ll see, it’s stark reading.
https://elmsfarmallotments.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Allotment-Background-17th-July-2024.pdf
Obviously, this kind of antagonism cannot continue. Most of us simply want to enjoy a peaceful allotment environment where people work together, follow the rules, and improve things for all.
As a result of all this, responsibility for rules, inspections, evictions, and plot transfers to new tenants has now been withdrawn. It will be given to an independent third party and paid for at all of our expense. Some tenants may welcome this, but it’s a tragic outcome and a colossal waste of tenants’ money. We’ve lost the opportunity to manage our site, which is a significant disappointment for the committee and a setback for the community.
This leads us to the AGM. We have now set a new date for the AGM, which will be held on Wednesday September 4th at 7:30pm at the Touchpoint Centre, Crafton Green, Stansted. We’ve avoided the summer holiday period to give everyone plenty of notice and allow for reflection and discussion over the next few weeks.
An agenda and statement of accounts can be viewed and downloaded from the website here: https://elmsfarmallotments.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/AGM-Agenda-4th-Sept-24.pdf
Part of that meeting will include an opportunity to review the work that the EFAA has done over the past 18 months and future initiatives that are on hold but ready to go. In addition, it is an opportunity for tenants to volunteer to join the committee and hopefully create a fresh and fully inclusive organization that everyone can support.
Any tenant can join the committee at any time. Simply let us know if you’d like to join or volunteer at the AGM. There are currently three members, and we need 4-5 people minimum, and 8-10 people to allow representation from across our community. The committee meets typically every 2-3 months.
We are also open to nominations for the positions of Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, which are appointed by majority vote. In order to make this as open and inclusive as possible, we are seeking nominations for these roles in advance of the meeting. To volunteer for any of those three roles, you must send your nomination to us by August 18 so that we have time to notify tenants of the candidates for each position. Email or write to us by that date if you wish to stand.
Of course, it may be that plot holders do not want the EFAA to continue and if that appears to be the case then we will submit a proposal to dissolve the EFAA altogether. It’s up to ALL of us to decide if we want to be represented at Elms Farm or just let the council and their agent run everything.
So, in summary:
• If you’d like to nominate yourself for the position of Chair, Secretary or Treasurer, send your nomination by August 18th to elmsfarmallotmentassociation@gmail.com
• All tenants will have the opportunity to vote for the candidates.
• If you want to actively make Elms Farm a better place, volunteer for the committee.
• Keep September 4th free and join us at the AGM.
If you have any questions, you can contact current committee members via our email address: elmsfarmallotmentassociation@gmail.com
You can also find all the details on the website, elmsfarmallotments.org.uk
Regards
The EFAA committee