Tuesday 21st July 2026 11am

PRESENT:

Councillors: P Harrison, K Henderson, C Rogers, J Thomas 

Officers: S Saunders (Town Clerk); K Terry (Parks & Cemetery Superintendent); S Harris (Assistant Clerk) 

Observer: John Day (Chairman of the Kingsway Allotment 
Association), Christina (Plotholder, Kingsway Allotments), Carol (Plotholder, Kingsway Allotments)

1. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN
   
   It was RESOLVED that Councillor P Harrison be appointed as Chairman of the Parks Committee for the current municipal year.
   
   
2. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

   Apologies for absence were received from Councillor R Lloyd. Councillor J Thomas was appointed as a substitute for Councillor Lloyd.

3. MINUTES

   It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 18th February 2026 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

   Councillor Rogers raised a matter arising from the previous meeting minutes and asked that injurious weeds (as defined by the Weeds Act 1959) be included within the amended allotment rules, requiring plot holders to remove and prevent the spread of the weeds. 

4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

   There were no declarations of interest.

5. TO DISCUSS THE OPTIONS FOR SELF MANAGED ALLOTMENT SITES AT ARELEY KINGS, STOURPORT-ON-SEVERN AND KINGSWAY, STOURPORT-ON-SEVERN
   

   The Town Clerk provided an overview of the current arrangements for the two town council owned allotment sites. The Town Clerk confirmed the following:

   • The 2026/27 budget for both allotments was £19,043.
   • The total net expenditure for 2025/26 at both sites was £16,443.

   It was noted that a significant proportion of the budget and expenditure figures included recharges related to staffing costs.

   The Town Clerk had been in touch with the National Allotment Society and identified 3 different running models:

   1. Council managed
   2. Hybrid/shared management
   3. Self-managed sites (whereby the council retain ownership but hand the day-to-day management of the site to an allotment association)

   The Town Clerk confirmed that informal conversations had taken place with representatives from both the Kingsway and Areley Kings allotments regarding a potential change to the running model.

   Members were asked to consider the three running models with regard to the two allotment sites. The Town Clerk asked members to consider the future impact of devolution upon Officer time and the potential cost savings for the council moving forward should day-to-day management of the allotment site be handed to an allotment committee.

   In response to a members question, the Town Clerk advised that research had suggested that self-managed sites were an enduring trend nationally.

   One Member commented that self-managed sites would be advantageous to allotment holders as they had the freedom to set their own rent and budget.

   Councillor Thomas raised a concern that the two associations may not fully support a change in operating model and suggested that this was discussed further with the two committees. It was resolved that a meeting be convened with representatives of both associations and the Chairman of the Parks Committee, for further discussion.

The meeting closed at 11.12pm.