Council grapples with allotment-based arson, theft and fly-tipping

Problems with theft, arson, vandalism and fly tipping are continuing to plague many council-owned allotments in Redcar and Cleveland. Despite this, a healthy waiting list has been revealed

in terms of members of the public waiting to rent a plot. A report covering Councillor Adam Brook’s neighbourhoods portfolio said there were “ongoing challenges”. It said: “Theft, misuse,

arson, vandalism and fly tipping continue to be a problem across many sites. Underuse or neglect also create a significant amount of work in inspections, enforcement, clearing and

re-letting.” The local authority has 731 plots in total that it owns across 14 sites, however the report said 66 were in a “critical” condition. Aside from anti-social and criminal

behaviour, other contributing factors to the poor state of many included flood damage and in one instance the discovery of a contaminant, asbestos. The council conceded this service area

looking after allotments were understaffed with no capital budget afforded for them. It said: “The allotments require an assistant to take on day to day maintenance work and a capital budget

to proactively tackle improvements.” Instead allotment fees were used to cover costs - an income of £48,000 being budgeted for in 2025/26. A ranger was assisting once a month to deliver

community wildlife projects at some sites. One such project in Redcar’s Zetland ward has involved students from Redcar and Cleveland college and community volunteers, the aim being to create

a wildflower area to enhance pollinators and tidy up unused areas. Wildlife areas can improve the appearance of some plots suffering from long-term issues and are also deemed. low

maintenance. A boundary fence has also been separately replaced in the same location with help from offenders managed by the local probation service, resulting in a “significant

improvement”. The report revealed that at the end of January a total of 461 residents were on a waiting list having expressed an interest in taking on an allotment plot. It said a

significant amount of work went into inspecting and clearing plots so they could be let to ensure they were in productive use and generating an income for the council. Research shows that

allotment gardening can be good for both physical and mental health, providing a sense of purpose and an opportunity to get outdoors and be active. They are also a cheaper way to source

fruit and vegetables, potentially without additives when compared to shop bought produce. The pandemic caused by the coronavirus five years ago reportedly led to an increase in demand for

allotments, owing to Government restrictions on where people could travel at the time and the desire to use local green space for leisure pursuits. FOR THE LATEST REDCAR AND CLEVELAND NEWS

DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX, go here TO SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER JOIN TEESSIDE LIVE'S WHATSAPP COMMUNITY FOR TOP STORIES AND BREAKING NEWS SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR PHONE Teesside Live is

now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community. Through the app, we'll send you the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone. To join

our community group, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is CLICK THIS LINK AND SELECT 'JOIN COMMUNITY'. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one

can send messages except the Teesside Live team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you

can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY.