Allotment Law states that rent for an allotment should be at such a rate ‘as a tenant may reasonably be expected to pay for the land’. Now, an hectare of agricultural land can contain 39 allotments (one allotment = 10 rods, one hectare = 395 rods), and, farm rents in 2021 were averaging £177 per hectare. If we divide £177 by 39, we get £4.54.

So, it may be argued that a fair price for a 10 rod allotment (250 square metres), would be £4.54. Unfortunately, Council’s throughout UK see allotment provision as a “recreational activity” which explains rents being way above what a tenant may be reasonably expected to pay. Allotments are a legal right NOT a recreational activity.

Bolton Council take in approximately £30,000 a year in rental income from allotment holders. £10,000 is spent on chemical toilets for sites with no toilet facilities. £10,000 is spent on water, leaving £10,000 for repairs and improvements.