Allotments Consultation 2026

Further information

Feedback from the engagement process with the allotment community posed a series of questions and issues about rents. These are:

1. Why does the Allotment Service need to be cost neutral?
2. How has the Allotment Service used the above-inflation rent increase in 2025?
3. Why is the council not raising funds from letting out vacant plots instead of increasing the rent?
4. What are the larger repairs and maintenance works and how have the costs for these been calculated?
5. How is the Allotment Service going to use the capital funding to deliver improvements and why it is not used to off-set the rent?
6. How will the Allotment Service be held accountable for how these increased rents are being spent?
7. How will you ensure that our rent is only spent on allotments?
8. What discounts and payment terms exist to support tenants on low incomes?
9. What comparisons have you made to benchmark Bristol’s allotment rents with other local authority allotments and services for similar activities?
10. None of the proposed changes consider the important work that community groups do on allotments. How will the Allotment Service deliver a fair system to support these groups now and in the future?

We have considered and addressed these issues, wherever possible, in our proposals. You can read more about this below.

1. Why does the Allotment Service need to be cost neutral?

During the 2026 engagement, reviewing rents brought up important reasons for the Allotment Service to be cost neutral.

1. Some allotment sites need significant repair and maintenance work. This cannot be done now, because we do not have sufficient funds. As a result, assets such as gates, water troughs, and notice boards are deteriorating.
2. The council’s position is that the council’s day-to-day budget is not to be used to fund allotments, because most council taxpayers do not have allotments.
3. If the Allotment Service does not rely on council central funding, it will need to be self-sustaining and not subject to council funding cuts.
4. Linking spending to income more accurately will mean that we can plan more effectively and deliver a better service to allotment tenants.

2. How has the Allotment Service used the above-inflation rent increase in 2025 and the inflation-only rent increase we were told about in September 2026?

The above-inflation rent change in October 2025 increased rent for a Band B plot with water from £50 to £76. This increase made it possible to add a second full‑time allotment officer beginning in May 2026. The extra capacity is helping us to:

• improve the service we can offer to allotment tenants
• achieve our aim of increasing allotment occupancy from 82% to 90%, by September 2028
• improve the turnaround time to re-let plots

Increasing allotment occupancy will further increase income to the Allotment Service.

On 29 September 2026, we notified existing tenants of an inflation-only increase in rent. By law, we are required to give existing tenants 12 months’ notice of any increase, so this will take effect on 29 September 2027. The increase will be implemented immediately for any new tenants.

This increase will cover the costs of running the Allotment Service as they rise by the price of inflation, so there is no increase in real terms.

Inflation-only rent increases will not be enough to fund the increase in maintenance. The reasons for this are described under Section “The Current inflation-only rent model”

This is why the 3 rent models we propose all include some above-inflation rent increase.

3. Why is the council not raising funds from letting out vacant plots instead of increasing the rent?

We are. Plot occupancy rate for lettable plots in July to September 2026 was 82%. We aim to increase this to 90% by September 2028. This will enable us to achieve an increased income of £37,126 based on inflation at 3.1%. These figures have been built into all three proposed rent models.

4. What are the larger repairs and maintenance works, and how have the costs for these been calculated?

The cost of larger repairs and maintenance works has been calculated using a list of currently outstanding works. The estimated cost for completing these works is £135,000 for only the highest priority works, or £290,000 for a full programme of works.

included on this list are:

• repair fencing
• level and fill potholes in haulingway
• repoint wall
• repair trough and new water tap

This list is not exhaustive, but illustrates the type of works we need to do, and that can be funded by proposed rent increases. We are not proposing that some sites subsidise maintenance at other sites, because all sites will need maintenance over time.

We will develop a long-term repair, maintenance, and improvement programme to manage available funds in subsequent years. The programme will include regular progress reports to site representatives and the Bristol Allotment Forum.

5. How is the Allotment Service going to use the capital funding to deliver improvements and why is it not used to off-set the rent?

The Allotment Service has £2.36 million in capital funding. This cannot be used for ongoing repairs or maintenance, so it is not included in the rent models we are proposing. This capital funding can only be used for lasting improvements and new infrastructure on allotments, and to create new allotment plots. £1.22 million of this can only be used on specific sites, while £1.14 million is not yet allocated. Of this unallocated funding, some can be used to deliver improvements on existing sites, and the rest is required to deliver objectives in the Food Growing and Allotments Strategy.

This capital funding can only be used once, so it is not effective as a long-term funding source for the Allotment Service. In our long-term repair, maintenance, and improvement programme, we will set out how the capital funding we be spent. We will share this programme with the allotment community and report back on how it is being spent.

6. How will the Allotment Service be held accountable for how these increased rents are being spent?

The allotment community wants to see where income is being spent, especially in light of rent increases. This has been very clear during the engagement process.

We agree that transparent reporting and collaborative working are highly important, and want to continue building trust this way.

Therefore, we will develop a long-term and costed plan for repairs, maintenance and improvement. We will report back to tenants on the progress of this plan through the site representatives and Bristol Allotments Forum.

7. How will you ensure that our rent is only spent on allotments?

To meet our goal of being cost-neutral, we will develop a protected, guaranteed (ring-fenced) budget for the Allotment Service. This puts us in line with National Allotment Society guidelines:

“All funds generated by rents should be used for the management and improvements of the allotments and not used for any other purposes.”

8. What discounts and payment terms exist to support tenants on low incomes?

The following discounts and payment options are available:

• 50% discount for plot holders on low income
• Discounts for site reps
• Discounts for difficult-to-manage or marginal plots
• Options to pay in quarterly or monthly instalments

All of these discounts and payment options will remain in place.

9. What comparisons have you made to benchmark Bristol’s allotment rents with other local authority allotments and services for similar activities?

The Allotments Act 1950 states that money raised from rents on statutory allotment sites must be set at a reasonable level. To do this, The National Allotment Society recommends looking “at other allotment sites in the area as well as other leisure activities that are managed by ”.

The following show the costs per year for an allotment plot that is equivalent to a Bristol Band B allotment. All examples are for plots with water, except Plymouth.

• Bristol City Council:
  Cost: £78.36 for a plot of 75 to 150 square metres
  
  
• Bath & North East Somerset Council:
  Cost: £92.95 for a plot of 125 square metres
  More information: bathnes.gov.uk/allotment-prices
  
  
• Birmingham City Council:
  Cost: £85 for a plot of 85 to 167 square metres
  More information: www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20090/allotments/173/allotments_information
  
  
• South Gloucestershire Council:
  Cost: £44.50 for a plot of less than 150 square metres
  More information: www.beta.southglos.gov.uk/apply-for-an-allotment/
  
  
• Plymouth City Council:
  Cost: £97 for a plot of less than 180 square metres, not including water
  More information: www.plymouth.gov.uk/allotment-charges
  
  

Other leisure activities

The following show the costs for other leisure activities that are managed by Bristol City Council:

• Everyone Active Gym & Wellbeing
  Cost: £349.90 to £599.90 for adult annual membership
  More information: https://www.everyoneactive.com/content-hub/our-membership/adult-fitness-memberships/
  
  
• Everyone Active swimming
  Cost: £274.90 for annual adult membership
  More information: https://www.everyoneactive.com/content-hub/our-membership/swimming-memberships/
  
  
• Bristol Parks Family Tennis
  Cost: £35 for annual household membership
  More information: https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/bristolparkstennis/Membership/Join
  
  
  
• Footgolf & golf:
  Cost: £8.50 per session
  More information: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/museums-parks-sports-and-culture/sports-and-fitness/golf
  
  
• Football & rugby:
  Cost: £158 to £1,035 for pitch hire per season
  More information: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/files/documents/4526-parks-football-terms-and-conditions/file
  
  
• Parks, libraries & museums:
  Cost: Free

10. None of the proposed changes consider the important work that community groups do on allotments. How will the Allotment Service deliver a fair system to support these groups now and in the future?

Community groups on allotment sites build important connections between residents and food-growing opportunities. We were aware of this, and the most recent engagement process reinforced this further.

This consultation focuses on individual tenants rather than community groups. After this consultation, we will work with community groups to develop tenancy agreements, leases, and licenses specifically for them. This will allow us to:

• provide better support for community groups
• engage people who experience barriers to accessing allotments

In the interim, we will work with community groups to ensure that the rent they pay is sustainable so that they can keep on operating.