BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

25th November 2020

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

AGENDA

Welcome - Charlie Love

• 1. Apologies
• 2. Approval of the minutes of the AGM held on 26th November 2019
• 3. Matters arising from 2019 AGM minutes, not covered on the agenda
• 4. Key updates and Independent Examiners report

4.1. Treasurer 4.2. Membership secretary 4.3. Trading hut

• 5. Election of officers and site representatives
• 6. Any other business

Appendix:

• A. Treasurer report
• B. Membership secretary report
• C. Trading hut report
• D. Planning officer report
• E. 2019 AGM action updates

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

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• 1. APOLOGIES

Apologies received from:-

• Anna Rutherford
• Leslie Hynes
• Desanka Rowell Ozim

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

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• 2. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE

AGM HELD ON 26 / 11 / 2019

• 3. MATTERS ARISING FROM 2019 AGM

MINUTES, NOT COVERED ON THE AGENDA

Any topics to be raised ?

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Approval proposed by - Approval seconded by -

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4.1. KEY UPDATES AND INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS (IE) REPORTS - TREASURER

Update from Judith Jordan

Overall Position

• Our finances are in a healthy state with a balance of over £6,000 in the bank
• We seek to use this surplus to benefit members, in particular by supporting allotment

improvement projects such as a new water trough at LCE

• Work undertaken on allotment sites requires the approval by the Allotments Department of

the Council and engagement of their approved contractors which often means a long wait for work to be completed Income and Expenditure

• The vast majority of our income comes from membership subscriptions, the price of which

has remained pegged at £6.50 for many years

• Our main expenditure is on public liability insurance, events and web-based services
• This year has been dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic which has prevented us organising
• ur usual events like the Allotment Theatre, the Produce Show and guest speakers

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

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4.1. KEY UPDATES AND IE REPORTS - IE REPORT AND ACCEPTANCE OF ACCOUNTS - ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATION

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Approval proposed by - Approval seconded by -

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4.2. KEY UPDATES AND IE REPORTS - MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

Update from Judith Jordan

• Membership for the year was 257 with 100 linked members
• This represents very little change on the previous year
• The turnover rate of members is around 15% with 35 leavers and 34 joiners
• Most of those leaving cite ‘giving up the allotment’ as their main reason

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

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4.2. KEY UPDATES AND IE REPORTS - MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

Membership and the pandemic

• Working on allotments has proved to be an invaluable activity during lockdown
• Across the country there has been an increased demand for allotment plots and this has also

been true in B&NES

• There are now, (at least in theory) very few vacant plots on any of our sites and long waiting

lists

• Our members constitute less than a third of all plot-holders on sites so there is considerable

scope for increasing membership

• Membership offers great benefits, not least of which is the access to low cost supplies via the

Trading Hut

• Encouraging membership is more important that ever given
• The financial pressure the Council is under due the loss of revenue from tourism, retail etc.

due to the pandemic

• The decrease in personnel in the Council allotments team
• In order to make sure that we can lobby effectively and ensure the voice of plot-holders is

heard

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

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4.3. KEY UPDATES AND IE REPORTS - TRADING HUT

Update from Anne Love (Trading Hut sales) and Charlie Love (Trading Hut buyer)

• Financially the Trading Hut is in a strong position, with an increased asset value, compared

to the previous year

• The Trading Hut closed in March due to lockdown but re-opened in May and the ‘Click

and Collect’ system has proved very successful with sales increasing

• Until something changes we envisage the ‘Click and Collect’ system remaining in place
• Stock levels are currently back to normal though re-supplying during the year has been

difficult

• Kings Seed and Spring Potato and Onions orders were very successful in 2019-20

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

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4.3. KEY UPDATES AND IE REPORTS - IE REPORT AND ACCEPTANCE OF ACCOUNTS - TRADING HUT

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Approval proposed by - Approval seconded by -

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• 5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND SITE

REPRESENTATIVES - OFFICERS

OFFICERS CANDIDATES NAME Chair Charlie Love Secretary Maria Humphries Membership Secretary Judith Jordan Treasurer Judith Jordan Planning Officer Jacky Wilkinson Publicity & Communications Officer Nikki Ruck Trading Hut (BOG representative) Kate Mills Trading Hut (Sales) Anne Love Trading Hut (Buyer) Charlie Love

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Approval proposed by - Approval seconded by -

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• 5. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND SITE

REPRESENTATIVES - SITE REPRESENTATIVES

SITE CANDIDATES NAME SITE CANDIDATES NAME Abbey View Dagmar Charlton Hampton Row Catherine Parker Avon Park NO REPRESENTATIVE High Common Lucy Ashley Bloomfield Road Erica Draisey & Lyn Barham King Georges Road Maria Humphries & Andrew Baker Brookfield Park Lucy Ashley Larkhall NO REPRESENTATIVE Canal Gardens Christina Craig Lower Common East Anne Love & Jim Lee Claremont Road Francis Dowding & Sharon Dowding Lower Common West Rachel Lewis Combe Down Chris Pearce Lyncombe Hill Farm Steve Marshall Corston View Hillary Sheppard & Ron White Lyncombe Vale NO REPRESENTATIVE Eastfield Avenue NO REPRESENTATIVE Mendip Gardens Guy Bardoe Fairfield Park NO REPRESENTATIVE Monksdale Maria Humphries & Andrew Baker Fairfield Valley Louise Jones-Robinson Moorfields Kerry Rogers Foxhill NO REPRESENTATIVE Ring Common Peter Cray

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Approval proposed by - Approval seconded by -

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• 6. AOB

TBC

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GUEST SPEAKER

Sam Rudd will provide an update re the CropDrop initiative

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APPENDIX

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

• A. Treasurer report
• B. Membership secretary report
• C. Trading hut report
• D. Planning officer report
• E. 2019 AGM action updates

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• A. TREASURER REPORT

Update from Judith Jordan - period covering 1/10/2019 to 30/09/2020 The opening bank balance carried forward from the last financial year was £5,870.02 and the closing balance at the end of the year (30/09/2020) was £6,823.49 so the finances are in a healthy position with a net movement of + £953.47 this year. Petty cash was used to pay some expenses relating to tea and coffee purchased for the AGM (£5.42) and stands at £25.03, making the overall balance at the end of the year £6,848.52. Income Revenue from membership is roughly the same as the previous year but is sensitive to the timing of renewals and a more accurate picture of membership is provided in the membership secretary’s report. This year has been dominated by the Covid19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions so it has not been possible to hold any events since the AGM. The Committee agreed to match the funding raised by some of the plot-holders on LCE who are in urgent need of a new water trough. In the event the Allotments Department of the Council were unable to schedule the work for the summer months and the Association is holding plotholders’ contributions of £180 until the work is carried out. Each year we receive a number of inadvertent, payments from members crediting the Association rather than the Council or the Trading Hut. These are the entries that appear under the miscellaneous heading. All mis-payments have been refunded. Some mis-payments and refunds have spanned financial years hence the apparent differences between mis-payments received and money refunded. Expenditure In terms of expenditure, our memberships were renewed with RHS and the National Allotment Association. The renewal date for our public liability insurance coincides with the start of our Association’s financial year. Shield insurance, who have provided our cover for many years have transferred their allotment insurance business to Chris Knott Insurance. The invoice from Chris Knott did not arrive until early October which falls

• utside the current financial year so no payment for insurance for general public liability insurance appears in this year’s statement even though members are still
• covered. We also have insurance for an annual event through the RHS and because, at the beginning of the year, we were hoping that we would be able to hold the

AGM we left that cover in place. Naturally we will review the position for next year as the Covid situation unfolds. Web-based and software expenses were up this year because the rates charged by Ionis our web-services supplier have risen. This item also includes the £75 annual subscription we pay for our membership software. Expenditure on office items such as postage, printing and stationery is down on the previous years as more and more of our members use email and web-based communication. The charge for events might at first glance appear high but relate to expenditure undertaken before the pandemic struck. Our speaker at the AGM in 2018, Lia Leendertz, was slow to send in her invoice and receive payment so this expenditure rolled over into the current financial year. Earlier in the year the Committee agreed that it would join with Claverton Down Horticultural Society to hold a produce show for members in the autumn 2020 and contributed £350 to financing this event. Needless to say the event had to be postponed so the funding will be carried over into 2020/21.We held the AGM in November 2019 and all enjoyed the talk on garlic given by Rob Solari. The expenditure under the meetings heading relates to this AGM. We are still inviting applications for small project funding to improve sites – the water trough project mentioned earlier is pending completion. Judith Jordan (10/11/20)

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• A. TREASURER REPORT

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

£ 2019-20 2018-19 Bank Reconciliation Income Starting balance at Co-Op bank 5,870.02 Membership 1,950.00 1,943.00 Net income 2019-20 948.05 Miscellaneous 347.90 137.28 Expenditure from petty cash 5.42 Events 0.00 300.00 Balance at Co-Op bank 30/09/20 6,823.49 Matched funding * 180.00 0.00 Total 2,477.90 2,380.28 Petty cash in hand 25.03 Total balance 30/09/20 6,848.52 Expenditure Membership & subs 81.00 58.00 Insurance 75.00 1,066.08 Website 206.99 142.68 Office 14.64 112.10 Events 550.00 0.00 Meetings / room hire 254.92 66.25 Small projects - internal 0.00 60.00 Miscellaneous 347.30 179.78 Gifts 0.00 50.00 Total 1,529.85 1,734.89 Net 948.05 645.39

* This is the money collected from plotholders at LCE pending payment to Council for new water trough.

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• B. MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY REPORT

Update from Judith Jordan In 2019 - 2020, the membership was as follows:

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Membership Type Number Standard membership 257 Honorary members 3 Linked members 100 New joiners during 2019-20 (already included in standard membership total) 34 The membership in 2018-2019 was 258 so membership overall is more or less stable with a net loss of 1 member but a turnover rate of approximately 15% (35 leavers compensated for by 34 new joiners). The latter part of the year, from March onwards, was dominated by the Covid19 pandemic and lockdown so we were not able to engage in our usual social activities with members. Lockdown did, however, renew interest in allotments and we hope to be able to encourage both existing plotholders and those who are new to allotments to join the Association. Suggestions and thoughts from members on ways of improving recruitment to, and participation, the Association are most welcome. 18

• B. MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY REPORT

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Site *Members 2019-20 (2018-19) **Total Plots at Site Membership as % of stated plots **Waiting times Site *Members 2019-20 (2018-19) **Total Plots at Site Membership as % of stated plots **Waiting times Abbey View 11 (15) 63 17 18 mths + King George’s Road 1 (2) 18 6 2 years + Avon Park 0 (1) 11 2 years + Larkhall 15 (15) 96 17 6 mths + Bloomfield 33 (30) 153 22 1 year + Lower Common East 53 (40) 146 36 1 year + Brookfield Park 1 (1) 11 9 2 years + Lower Common West 12 (14) 58 21 2 years + Canal Gardens 10 (13) 47 21 18 mths + Lyncombe Hill Farm 14 (10) 52 30 1 year + Claremont 17 (16) 51 33 3 years + Lyncombe Vale 1 (1) 11 9 18 mths + Combe Down 12 (15) 64 19 2 years + Mendip Gardens 2 (2) 15 13 1 year + Corston View 5 (7) 18 28 2 years + Monksdale 23 (20) 138 17 1 year + Eastfield 1 (1) 23 4 2 years + Moorfields 4 (4) 31 13 1 year + Fairfield Park 2 (4) 55 4 1 year + Ring Common 4 (9) 73 5 18 mths + Fairfield Valley 4 (3) 19 21 1 year + St Stephens 1 (1)

Not available

• Foxhill

2 (2) 10 20 1 year + Station Road 3 (2)

Not available

• Hampton Row

3 (2) 11 27 5 years + Others** 8

Not applicable

• Haydon

2 (2)

Not available

• Leisure Gardeners

8 (8)

Not available

• High Common

5 (4) 35 14 18 mths+

Membership by site

*Counts paid members only (does not include linked and honorary members). ** As listed on the B&NES Council website on 24/10/20 *** Others refers to those on more distant sites plus those who have paid by internet banking and have not identified their location.

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C.TRADING HUT REPORT

B&NES Allotments Association - Trading Hut Treasurer’s Report 2019/20 Period covering 1/11/2019 to 30/09/2020 This year The Trading Hut has changed accounting date to 30th September to align with Bath & NE Somerset Allotment Association

• accounts. The accounts are for an eleven month period and are, therefore, not directly comparable with the previous period.

Income Revenue for the year was £6,414.35 significantly higher than last year. Income included £1,614.36 from orders for Kings Seeds, also up significantly from 2019. Sales of potatoes, onions etc. are included in stock sales but again were more than previous years. £26 was received by the Trading Hut for Allotment Association memberships and was re-paid to the Allotment Association. Expenditure Expenditure of £4,766.44 was slightly higher than 2018-19. While administrative costs were very slightly higher the Kings Seeds

• rder was significantly bigger.

At years end stock levels were smaller than in 2019, partially due to difficulties in re-stocking from suppliers. If one includes the decrease in stock value, the net overall asset value has increased by £1,158.51 to £8,947.41. Charlie Love has complied the treasurers report with the assistance of Erica Draisey. Charlie Love (1/10/20)

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• C. TRADING HUT REPORT

A Bath & NES Allotments Association and Bath Organic Group Enterprise

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

Accounts summary

£ 2019-20 2018-19 2019-20 2018-19 Income Seeds 1,614 1,317 Closing bank balance 5,842 4,200 Sundries 4,774 3,201 End of year float 49 55 Gifts 50 Administrative costs 26 Total balance 5,891 4,255 Total 6,414 4,568 Expenditure Stock value 3,056 3,534 Seeds 1,445 1,095 Stock 3,154 2,926 Total assets 8,947 7,789 Admin 167 123 Costs 402 Gifts 50 Total 4,766 4,596 Net 1,648

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• D. PLANNING OFFICER REPORT

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

B&NES Allotments Association - Planning Officer’s Report 2019/20 Period covering 1/11/2019 to 31/10/2020 Local Plan I reported in the Summer 2020 Newsletter that progress on the New Local Plan 2018 had been halted, due to the withdrawal of the West of England Joint Spatial Strategy, (caused by the failure to agree strategic housing targets.) This means that the protective designations and policies proposed by the Association for allotments cannot go ahead, at least until the Council re-commences the process of making a New Local Plan. I also reported that in the interim, the Council was proposing a Partial Update of the Plan, but the Scoping report for that Update did not include any of the policy proposals put forward by the Association, despite the Council stating that tackling climate change was a priority for the Update. I wrote to the Council urging them to include our proposals, as growing food locally is directly relevant to tackling climate change. Much time has passed and the Government has announced sweeping changes to the planning system which has no doubt caused mayhem for Councils everywhere who are involved in the processing of Local Plans. I have not had any response to our submissions, but have been told that a report is “imminent”, so I may be able to update you on this verbally at the AGM. Combe Down Allotments still under threat Time has passed without any progress despite being told by Councillor Crossley (Cabinet Member for Communities) that he has asked the Parks Service to negotiate a longer lease for this privately owned historic site. Some committee members are having a Zoom meeting with him on the 18 November, so we may be able to update you on any progress. In the meantime, despite an unprecedented upsurge in demand, a sizeable area of allotment land goes unused as the Council will not invest in creating plots without a longer lease. Talk about a cat chasing its tail!!! The Combe Down plot holders, have formed a users’ group which has met several times in the local pub and once recently on

• Zoom. Given the Council’s financial situation, the group is considering other ways to secure the long term future of this 120 year
• ld site. If there is anyone out there with legal or land valuation knowledge who might help them please contact the Combe Down

site rep Chris Pearce at <joanchris@tiscali.co.uk>. 22

• D. PLANNING OFFICER REPORT

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

B&NES Allotments Association - Planning Officer’s Report 2019/20 Period covering 1/11/2019 to 31/10/2020 Projects I have come across a site given to the Council under a Planning Obligation explicitly for allotments but which is not being used. It is at the corner of Deadmill Lane and The Old Gloucester Road in Larkhall – see map below. There are likely to be access issues but if anyone is interested I can brief them and we can try to get something going. Finally, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any advice, or have any suggestions. Jackywilkinson99@gmail.com 23

• E. 2019 AGM ACTION UPDATES

Bath & North East Somerset ALLOTMENTS ASSOCIATION

• Allotment Association to keep watching brief on rent increases to ensure aligned to agreement made in 2017 sub-form
• Council to increase rents by further 15% for a further year 2021/22 to help meet the financial challenge facing the Council as

a result of Coronavirus.

• Allotment Association and Trading Hut accounting year ends to be aligned
• Complete
• Trading Hut stock take to be taken for 2020 year end accounts
• Complete
• Allotment Association to follow up with the council re site maintenance work-plan
• Ongoing, impacted by reduction in council resource allocated to Allotments and Coronavirus
• Allotment Association to follow up with the council re bay filling calendar / communication
• There is no set calendar but Council are responsive to requests
• Allotment Association to update website for suppliers of compost etc. not stocked at the Trading Hut
• The Trading Hut now stock compost, mostly as a service for people without cars on near by sites. A list of alternative sources

for large quantities of compost and manure that can be delivered to the sites has been added to the website.

• Allotment Association to follow up with the council re understanding what happens to the residential green bin compost
• This was being processed by a contractor in the Mendips, who then uses the product himself or sells it onto farmers.

Following up to check this is still the case.

• Allotment Association to follow up with Cathrine Parker (site representative) re disabled access at Hampton Row
• Completed, funded by Cllr. funds (Cllr. Hannah Rees)

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