Present:Steve Yorke (SY), David Kirkham (DK), Jane Bowden (JB), Winifred Beck (WB), Michael Graham (MG), Kay Graham (KG), Wendy Thomas (WT), Simon Hudson (SH), Barry Mitchell (BM), Lisa Goulbourne (LG), Diane Yorke (DY), Carol Brier (CB), Gary Brier (GB), Charles Dewa (CD), Tom Hutchinson (TH), Paul Hibbs (PH), Melek Portakal (MP), Steve Williams (SW), Ryan Wilcox (RW), Helen Bristow (HB), Anugaman Neupane (AN), Christine Scouthern (CS), Colin Hyatt (CH), Dave Goulding (DG), Dave Reid (DR)
Apologies: John Stooke, Chris Skinner
DK opened the meeting at 10:30 by welcoming and thanking everyone for attending. He confirmed that the meeting was quorate. He reminded people of the need to be polite and respectful to each other.
Minutes from last year’s AGM held on 27th April 2024 were proposed by KG and seconded by SW
Chair’s Report:
DK read his report (attached). In summary, he thanked everyone who had contributed to the Association, acknowledging key individuals and volunteers whose efforts keep the organisation running. However, the Association is facing a potential crisis: if a new Management Committee is not formed, the Council may take direct control of the allotment site, resulting in a substantial rent increase for members. Currently, there are no new nominations for officer or committee roles, and the Chairman announced he will not stand for re-election due to time constraints. He emphasised the importance of member support and participation, expressed regret for not achieving a fully friendly and inclusive environment, and encouraged all members to take responsibility for the future of the Association. The choice now rests with the members to decide how the group will be led and managed going forward.
There was a discussion about the impact of allowing the Association to become ‘Direct Let’ by the Council. Although this is theoretical, the Council have made clear that there would be a 3 or 4 fold increase in rents (13p to 47p per square metre) and that several facilities currently enjoyed by tenants would no longer be available, such as skips, communal fire etc. Hedges and potholes would not necessarily be fixed due to the Council’s financial situation.
Treasurer’s Report:
DK reported on MK’s behalf that the accounts had not yet been audited, but this was in hand. There is currently about £6900 in the bank, a reduction of £664 since last year. Given the liabilities that have to be accounted for ((key deposits, rent for the council and insurance), the Association has about £1000 available until the end of September when rents are next due.
WT asked why the new locks, bought in March, were not being used. Currently, the new keys are with JS and need to be collected so they can be distributed and the new locks used.
The Committee had agreed to sell the chipper and had a buyer but needed to find the keys and take photos. There had been no insurance claim submitted following the break in and robbery and there was concern that we might be too late to do this. The new Committee would need to look at this.
DK observed that many things had not been actioned as the Management Committee had not been functioning properly for several months.
Secretary’s Report:
In the absence of John Stooke, there was no report from the Secretary.
Election of Officers and New Committee
DK reported that he had received no volunteers for officers. There was then a discussion and SH offered to stand as Chair. JB pointed out that this was not possible due to the rule change agreed last year which meant that anyone who had resigned or been asked to resign from the Committee for misconduct could not stand again. SH stated that the case against him was based on hearsay and was unfair. JB stated that she had been at the meeting to discuss his conduct and it was based on facts provided by the then Treasurer (Mark Robinson) and Secretary (JS). WB then offered to stand and was elected on a show of hands. LG offered to stand as Secretary and was duly elected on a show of hands. Subsequently Anu volunteered to be Treasurer.
Officers:
Chair – Winnie Beck
Secretary – Lisa Goulbourne
Treasurer – Anu
Ordinary Committee Members:
Carol Brier
Tom Hutchinson
Wendy Thomas
Paul Hibbs
SH also volunteered to be on the Committee, but his position needs clarifying given the rule change mentioned earlier.
The need for the Secretary to have others to support her due to the demanding nature of the job was recognised.
WB and LG led the remainder of the meeting with help from DK.
Exclusion of Roy Lawson
DK explained that Roy had appealed to the Council following his removal from the Association and the Council had supported the Association’s decision. He had been a disruptive influence on the site and had failed to follow site rules. Normally, an evicted tenant would be given 28 days to remove their possessions from their plot, but Roy had been given 3 months finishing on 1st June. He has still not removed his possessions, so these would normally become the property of the Association. It was unanimously agreed that Roy can only return to site with the agreement of the officers of the Committee and that an inventory with photos should be made of the items on his plot before their removal. A letter has already been sent to him about these plans.
Water Wastage
Water is a huge expense with the current water bill being £736 which is not sustainable. There are still a number of tenants who leave taps on and also one who waters his plot excessively so that his raised beds are completely water-logged. The Association has a Policy on Water Usage but needs to ensure that its provisions are applied.
Unlet Plots
There are currently 11 (soon to be 12) unlet plots. LG to get the 2 lists from JS. WT and TH will take on the role of lettings.
Unused/Minimally used plots
Inspections will take place in August and the Policy and Procedure for maintaining standards will be applied.
Unmaintained Hedges and Trees
This will be covered through the inspections and Standards Policy
Keeping Chickens
WT stated that under the 1950 Allotment Act, tenants are allowed to keep chickens on allotments provided that the eggs are for personal use and that high standards of care are maintained. The chickens have to be registered and cockerels are not allowed. They may not be bred for meat. It was agreed to allow the keeping of chickens with the details to be set out by the Committee.
Organisation of the Responsibilities of Secretary
It was agreed that the Committee would look at the proposal to have a number of Working Groups that would cover different aspects of the Secretary’s role.
Water/Rent Increase
DK proposed increasing rents by 1p per square metre from 13p to 14p. They had not been raised for many years. This would add approximately £5 to the average bill. This was agreed.
Honoraria
BM once again raised the point that Officers could not be ‘paid’. JB stated that the Honoraria were a ‘thank you’ to Officers of the Association in recognition of the time that they spend working on Association business and for the responsibility they take. It was agreed to pay the Honoraria of £200 again this year and to change the Association Rules to reflect this.
AOB
- LG stated that investigating the insurance claim for lost equipment would be a priority for her.
- SW has the new locks and chains, LG to obtain list of deposits and key holders from JS
- Laptops: LG to find out about the possible Association laptop held by JS
- BBQ and Show: Although it is recognised as good for the community, it’s important to share the responsibilities for this event. SY offered to organise the show again.
- Ray – it was agreed that he could visit the site to work on a tenant’s plot provided the tenant was present at all times, i.e. he would be there as a guest.
- AGM – will be in June again, probably 14th June 2026.
- Next General Meeting: 14th September 2025
Meeting closed at 12.35pm.
Attachments
Chair’s Report in full
It you will allow I will read my report without taking questions and allowing discussion. Everyone is more than welcome to offer their opinions after the Officers and Committee have been elected. If we discuss issues now, the AGM will take a long time to complete
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has supported the Association since the last AGM in March 2024
These include the following, forgive me if I have missed anyone out, everyone’s help is appreciated
Steve Yorke was the Chairman until recently and has given great service to the Association in many ways over many years and continues to do so
John Stooke who is the current Secretary and has been the Secretary for a number of years. John has contributed enormously to the Association and has represented the Association in through many difficult situations and given his time freely
Melek Portakal recently volunteered to be the Association Treasurer. Melek stepped forward to help out the Association and her willingness to help me (and the Association) shows her generosity.
All the Committee members who have served the Association. They have given up their time for meeting, they offer their views so that members are represented in Committee meetings and often are the people who give up their time to work on the site or help out the Association in addition to their contribution to Committee meetings
Thank you to everyone who has worked on the site, helped cut hedges, fill pot holes, mend fences, met with the Council, attended Federation meetings, picked up litter, made bays for chippings, burnt fires, inspected plots, cut grass, worked on locks, attended and spoken at General meetings, taken time to give feedback, the list is long and I will have forgotten more than I have listed. Everyone’s support of the Association is appreciated, and the Association cannot function without the support of its members.
Thank you all for coming today and giving up your time. Today is an important meeting.
Thank you everyone
Having said that the Association could be in a crisis
The Association has not done the things we need to do to govern ourselves effectively and this leads to a risk that the Council may decide to run the site itself
To repeat what I have said previously, if the Council run our allotment site, they have said that the rent we all pay will increase 3-4 times. The Council is currently reviewing their rents and the rents they might be increased by more than 3-4 times. That means that there would be an increase in the rent bill of about £60 or more per plot. £60 is in my opinion an underestimate.
If the Council run the site there is no guarantee that the site will be any better managed than an effective self-run site. Ultimately the choice is ours.
At the moment, I am the Chairman, John is the Secretary and Melek is the Treasurer. There are more than a full complement of Committee Members, Winnie, Lisa, Charles, Tom, Marcia, Anu, Carol, Ryan – I think that is everyone, have I missed anyone out?
I asked for nominations for the officer roles and committee members. I have to tell you that I have not received any nominations. Nominations may be received during this meeting but there is a risk that we will not have an effective Management Committee and if we do not have a Committee then the Council may decide to run the site directly. It might not happen immediately, but it is a real possibility.
The choice is ours.
Your Association needs your support, it needs volunteers, and it needs them today
Personally, it has been an honour to be the Chairman of the Association for a short period of time
I have tried to lead the Association fairly, and in the best interest of all members, and the members are the Association. I have tried to be open and allow everyone to a chance to raise their views. I have tried to communicate openly, there has been, and should not be any hidden agendas. I would like to see the Association be a friendly and inclusive place where members and their guests can enjoy their plots and create a sociable community. My observation is that the Association is not always a friendly and inclusive place. I have not been able to lead the Association to be such a place. I am sorry for that. The statement I posted on the website on aggressive and abusive behaviour was in response to how people had behaved on site. The only way for us to have a friendly community is for everyone to try to be friendly. The choice is ours.
I wish to state again in that taking decisions that, in my opinion, are in the best interests of all members, in the best interest of the Association, means that I could not please everyone. One side, or both sides, in a dispute often feels that have been hard done to, not listened to, or not been treated fairly. All I can say is that I have tried to be fair and reasonable, I understand that people can feel disappointed by decisions that are taken, but we cannot always get what we would really wanted.
I need to tell you that I have come to the conclusion that I will not stand for re-election (in a few minutes time).
There are not enough hours in my day to be the Chairman in the current situation, and I am standing down to allow a new approach to be agreed by you that can help the Association move forward.
I wish the new officers and Committee well, they will have my support
The choice of who will lead and run your Association is yours today, please contribute to the discussion and vote.
Treasurer’s Report in full
I will read out the Treasurer’s Report on behalf of Melek. In truth, I have committed to supporting Melek as Treasurer and reading this Report is part of that support.
The Association does not have any immediate cash issues. There is cash in the bank – £6,948 as at the end of May 2025. This is £664 lower than year earlier, a year in which the Association bought a chipper and bought some replacement locks.
There is a large water bill to pay in June. This is £736 which is larger than our usual Water Bill and which has reduced our bank balance in June significantly.
Our bank balance needs to cover our expenses up to the new rent bill receipts in September and October. An estimate of uncommitted money is about £1,000. You and the Committee will need to decide whether this is a reasonable cushion against unforeseen expenses.
The 2024 accounts have not yet been audited. The unaudited accounts show a deficit of £462. This includes a decision to buy a chipper for £1,344. Without the chipper the Association would have had a surplus of £882. The auditor has been contacted and will be asked for her help and I am waiting on her reply.
There are items relating to the Association’s finances for discussion today that I request the members consider and express their views on today.
Old Park Farm Garden Holders Association 