As requested please find below the information on allotments.

1) A full breakdown of the annual costs associated with the Ashford allotments ( 2014 &
2015 where available)

Budget Line
GENERAL BUILDING
MAINTENANCE
PEST CONTROL TREATMENT
OTHER FIXTURE AND FITTINGS
ROUTINE GROUNDS
MAINTENANCE
TREES AND HEDGES
UNSCHEDULED WORKS
SCHEDULED WORKS
WATER SUPPLY
OTHER OPERATIONAL
EQUIPMENT
OTHER CONSUMABLES & MATS
COMPUTER CONSUMABLES
SUBSCRIPTIONS
EXP Sub Total
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
RECHARGES
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
SYSTEM
CREDITORS SYSTEM
DEBTORS SYSTEM
PROJECT OFFICE
EXECUTIVE SUPPORT
CONTRACTS MANAGEMENT
PROPERTY SERVICES
REC Sub Total
TOTAL

2014/15 Actual

2015/16 Budget
0
0
0

150
200
100

41
1,455
1,010
3,403
3,974

0
2,000
2,000
3,000
4,000

394
0
10
0
10,286

600
300
0
60
12,410
930

560
203
7,084
946
16
27,270
2,599
38,678
48,964

430
290
5,980
0
30
34,590
2,800
45,050
57,460

2) The total value of receipts from the tenants ( 2014 & 2015 where available)
In 2014 15 the receipts totalled 6,739.
3) The total number of perches that make up each site (the actual plots, not the
service areas)
Site
Beaver Field (Ridgen Road)

Perches
65

Burton Farm Kennington (Nettlefields)

Bybrook Cemetery (Cemetery Lane)
Cryol Road
Gas House Fields (Cudworth Road)
Henwood (Gordon Close)
Musgrove Farm (Beaver Road)
Musgrove New
William & Jemmett
Orion Way
Repton (Repton Manor Road)
Westrees (Quantock Drive)
Wye (Churchfield Way)
Total

265
28
130
321
171
439
54
387
197
55
441
117
2670

4) The value of payments that were due but not received. ( 2014 )
Since the issuing of invoices in March 2015 for the 2014-15 period there have been 51
terminations, these are being received on a daily basis and we expect that this will rise
still further. At present the loss of revenue for 2015-16 based on the current figure of 51
terminations is in the region of 800.

I trust the above answers your enquiry. Please contact me if you require any further
information.
Kind regards

Jonathan Longley
Environmental Contracts & Operations Manager
Ashford Borough Council
I have subsequently asked for further clarification of the "Contracts Management" and
this was the reply:

Essentially these items are overhead costs incurred in

administering the allotment service. These are internal
re-charges to other departments in the council as a
contribution to time and resource spent on
administering the service. These costs are a proportion

of that departments overall budget and this

apportionment is based on the level of use.
Ie. it's the total cost for the department divided by an arbitrary value to derive a "share" of
the department costs for the allotments. I strongly suggest this "share" is incorrect, I fail
to see how a member of staff is employed full time on managing the allotments.
It also appears ( and I have to say appears because it is not exactly clear ) that last year
they spent 7048 ( the debtors system?) collecting 6739. In other words every plot could
be free and they/we would save money.
The total number of perches * the current rate = 2670 * 5 = 13350. The total collected
+ the value of terminations = 6739 + 800 = 7539 so approximately 43% of all plots
are currently FOC. I do not believe it is fair to expect those that are paying to subsidise
those that won't to this degree.
I absolutely refuse to pay extra for water when there are still tenants that continue to use
hoses. You either need to enforce the rule or drop the rule. It would not be reasonable for
those that are playing fair to have to pay for those that are not.
Many thanks