Scarborough Town Council will not take on allotments role without funding or improvements
Allotments in Scarborough are ‘not fit for transfer’ to council ownership and should not take place until they are made safe, according to a new report.
“Ongoing discussions” on the transfer of North Yorkshire Council-managed allotment sites to Scarborough Town Council have been taking place since the parish authority was created last year.
Councillors have been asked to approve a conditional transfer of the allotment sites only if a “fully costed and funded remediation package is agreed”.
However, the town council has said that it “may be appropriate” for it to decline to progress the transfer at this stage in case “satisfactory assurances cannot be obtained”.
Last November, the town council said it was working with North Yorkshire Council on the transfer of council-managed allotments located in the Falsgrave and Stepney and Woodlands wards.
A full meeting of the town council will take place on Thursday, April 2.
“Recent site inspections have identified a range of concerns relating to infrastructure, safety, governance, and plot management.
“These issues raise questions about the current condition of the sites and their suitability for transfer,” according to a report prepared for the meeting.
It adds: “In their current state, the sites cannot reasonably be considered fully fit for transfer without either substantial remedial works or a clear, funded plan to address identified issues.”
Councillors could also proceed with a transfer of the allotments without conditions, however, this has not been recommended “due to the level of identified risk”.
A motion proposed for the meeting states that the town council should formally acknowledge that “in their current condition, the sites present significant financial, legal, and operational risks” and that the allotment sites “are not currently in a condition suitable for transfer without further action”.
The Reform-led town council has been recommended to agree that no transfer should take place until the allotments are brought to “a safe and serviceable standard or a fully costed and funded remediation package is agreed with North Yorkshire Council”.
Members of the public have been invited to attend the town council’s full meeting which takes place at 7pm on Thursday, April 2.