SUMMARY OF THE 2004    W.F.A.S. ALLOTMENT SURVEY OF WIRRAL

Total number of plots

953 plots

Number vacant

278 vacant plots

29 % vacant

Number on waiting list

66 on the waiting list

Number of Animal plots

15

1.5 % of total

Number vacant

3

Total no. of plotholders

631

66 %

Number of concessions

112

18 % of plot holders

no. retired

109

96 % of concessions

no. sick

2

1.5 % of concessions

no. unemp

3

2.5 % of concessions

No. of women plotholders

108

17.5 % of plotholders

No. of new plotholders in the last year

48

8 % of plotholders

Number of ½ plots

66

11% of tenants

Is there an Allotment Society

70.5 % of sites have a society

No. of Society members

261

42.5% of tenants

How long has there been a Society (years)

12 years average 60 years (Greasby) to 0 years Bebbington Road

How many Site secretaries are there on site

are they members of the Society

77% are members of the Society

No. of standpipes on site

5.5 per site average

Water pressure

100% ok or above

water meter on site?

stop-tap on site?

Boundary fence condition

29.5% poor 29.5 % ok 41 % good

new fencing or repair needed?

35% need major repair 65% don't need major repair

localised new fencing needed ?

35% need local repair

alternative barrier needed

47% would like to use alternative barriers

Is there a specific local security problem on your site

How many gates are there to the site ?

2 average

are they in good condition ?

77.5% of gates are in good condition

are they locked

76.5 % of gates are always locked

Do they adequately prevent unauthorised access when locked ?

50% of gates do not prevent access when locked

other security measures installed

12 % have other security measures lights and anti vandal paint

incidents of vandalism/theft that have been reported this year ?

43 acts of vandalism

2.5 acts of vandalism per site on average with the most,  9 being at Manor Lane

Have these all been reported to the Police ?

28 % not reported

Have these all been reported to the Council ?

79 % reported to the council

Does the Society record all incidents ?

82% of sites have no records of incidents

Is the main entrance area

Welcoming and well signed

29.5 %

Off-putting

35 %

64.5% are off-putting or ramshackle

Ramshackle

29.5 %

Does it have a notice board advertising events etc. ?

47% have notice boards

Are there disabled facilities on your site ?

0%

are these used ?

local groups/associations using your site Schools etc. ?

18 % have outside groups using the site

including brownies and local primary schools

Roadway and footpath condition

good

41% have poor condition pathways

ok

poor

Is resurfacing or patching needed?

65 % need resurfacing work

Are vacant plots maintained

if so who by ?

1 site has vacant plots rotavated or strimmed by the council prior to letting

if so how often ?

Are vacant plots advertised for rent

23.5 % of sites advertise vacancies locally

if so how ?

Are grass verges etc.. regularly maintained ?

18 % of sites have council maintenance (one monthly!) 23.5% of sites have plotholder maintenance 41.5% of sites have no maintenance

if so who by ?

if so how often ?

Number of flush toilets

1 site has a flush toilet

Number of Portaloos

1 site has a portaloo

Are they working

Number of skips allocated per year is

0.8 per year per site on average 6 sites don't get skips

Are more skips needed?

47 % of sites need more regular skips/trailors

Are skips advertised in advance ?

53% of sites do not advertise skips in advance

Number of car-parking spaces is

101

average of 6 parking places per site

Is there a communal building/shop?

23.5% of sites have a community building

If so, is it Society owned?

all society owned

Is there a notice board

94 % have a notice board within the site

If so is it well used

53 % are well used

Is there a container/storage facility?

76.5 % of sites have no storage facilities

If so, is it Society owned?

Is there power on site?

1 site has electricity

Is there a communal composting compound on site?

1 site has communal composting

Are there any other communal facilities?

1 site has a communal bonfire area and a wood chip scheme, 1 a central manure dump free to plotholders and 1 a community area and summerhouse

Does the Society offer

 tool hire

23% of societies offer tool hire

secure tool storage

15% of societies offer secure storage

Seed purchase

53 % of societies offer seed purchase

Social events

39 % of societies have social events

Other

Is the Society part of a local horticultural/garden society?

12 % are members of other local societies

If yes, how many members DO NOT have plots?

Is the Society affiliated to: Wirral Federation?

57 % are affiliated to Wirral Federation

NSALG?

57 % are affiliated to NSALG

other bodies?

15 % are affiliated to other bodies

Does the Society hold an Annual General Meeting of members?

31% of societies don't hold an AGM

elect a Committee?

31% do not elect a committee

If yes, how many members?

average comittee is 7

does the Committee meet regularly?

46 % meet regularly

about how often?

Does the Society have a Constitution?

31 % do not have a constitution

or a set of Rules?

Has the Society received any grants in the past four years?

2 societies have recieved a total of £6500 in grants

If so, for how much?

and from what body?

from the Community Chest and Agenda 21

Does the Society produce a newsletter ?

23%  of societies produce a news letter

if so how often ?

Over the last Year Do you think your site has

improved

41 % of sites thoght it had improved in the lst year

no change

41 % of sites thought they had stayed the same

got worse

18 % thought their site had got worse

poor security and lack of site maintenance