Allotment waiting list data

Tuesday, 06 January 2009

Dear Ms Campbell,
Freedom of Information Request
I am writing to acknowledge the receipt of your information request. The request will be managed according to City of York Council's Freedom of Information Policy and the Procedure for Responding to FoI Requests. The Freedom of Information Act gives you a right of access to information. City of York Council believes in open government and, as promised in our Information Management Charter, we will provide the information you request unless it falls under an exemption set out in the Act. If all or some of the information you request falls under an exemption we will explain why in our response.
Your request has been passed to Dave Meigh the service manager in Parks and Open Spaces to locate the information. He will contact you directly if it is necessary to clarify your request further. We will respond to your request within 20 working days from the day after receipt of the request , but if the service manager needs to seek clarification the 20 days will re-start from the date when this happens.
You will be asked to pay for any disbursement charges for preparing the information for you, such as photocopying and postage, but that is all. You will be informed of the charge as soon as it can be established. If you have an upper limit in terms of cost please inform the service manager as soon as possible.
I hope this is helpful
Yours sincerely
Ian Hughes
Support Services Assistant

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Dear Margaret Campbell

Thank you for your Freedom of Information enquiry which has been forwarded to me for response.

1) How many allotment sites are there in the Council area for which the council has access to waiting list data?

City of York Council owns and directly manages 16 allotment sites, so has access to data on these sites. We hold general information on other allotment sites in York but do not have access to the details of their waiting lists.

2) How many plots are on these sites?

In total there are 870 full-sized (10 rod or 200 sq. yd) plots or equivalent on these sites. Several sites have a number of plots that cannot currently be cultivated due to waterlogging so the number of cultivable plots is roughly 850. A considerable number of tenants rent half or smaller plots so as at 01.01.09 there are 974 tenancies on these 16 sites.

3) How many people are on these waiting lists for an allotment?

Traditionally the waiting lists for CYC allotment sites have been maintained by the volunteer site secretaries, with totals and trends reported at the twice yearly site secretaries meetings. From figures reported at the most recent of these meetings, in October 2008, it would appear that around 200 people are waiting for a plot on one of the 16 sites. However prospective tenants often put their name down on several different lists, so the totals are not helpful. From 2009, site secretaries have agreed to supply copies of their lists four times a year so that city wide figures can be compiled. We are currently waiting for January figures. I will forward this information to you when available.

4) Are any of these waiting lists closed to further applications?

None of these waiting lists are closed.

5) How many sites are there in total in the Council area?

In total there are 38 allotment sites in the City of York area: 16 CYC owned & managed; 1 CYC owned, self-managed, with 200 plots; 15 parish or town council sites, with a total of approximately 390 plots; 6 independent sites with a total of approx. 440 plots.

Please contact me directly if you require any further information.

With best wishes

Judith Ward
Allotments Officer
(01904)553399
18 Back Swinegate
York YO1 8ZD

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