Jeremy Corbyn has criticised Angela Rayner, the local government secretary, over rules that allow councils to sell allotments to fund day-to-day spending. Writing for the Telegraph, Corbyn said the policy “makes the future of these precious spaces even more perilous”.
The rules, which date back to 2016, permit local authorities to sell off allotment sites to help “deliver transformation and invest-to-save projects” they would otherwise not be able to afford. Since taking power last year, the government has approved the sale of eight allotment sites across England, including in Somerset, Oxfordshire and West Sussex.
Corbyn, who recently launched a new left-wing party with former Labour colleague Zarah Sultana, said property developers “have always had their eyes on these parcels of land”. He urged the government to encourage the growth of allotments or community gardens instead of selling them off.
The National Allotment Society (NAS) urged calm, stating there had been “no change to the legal protections that apply to statutory allotments”. It noted that the eight approvals represented a slight decrease in disposals in recent years and that it had not challenged any applications as they met the legal threshold.
Cash-strapped councils are increasingly selling assets to balance budgets. Birmingham City Council, which declared itself bankrupt in 2013, has sold over £56m worth of assets and been told to increase sales to £1bn. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government defended the rules, saying “strict criteria is in place to protect” allotments.
