Jeremy Corbyn has raised the alarm over the sale of council-owned allotments, accusing the Government of endangering cherished green spaces. But while recent headlines paint a bleak picture, official data and sector voices suggest the statutory protections remain intact—at least for now.

This week the former Labour leader accused local government secretary Angela Rayner of putting the ‘nail in the coffin’ of the joy of digging up potatoes in a council-owned allotment on a ‘cold, wet February Sunday afternoon’.

Writing in the Telegraph, Corbyn was responding to a parliamentary answer last month that revealed Rayner had given permission for eight allotments to be sold by councils since assuming office.

‘Allotments have always been under threat from developers,’ he wrote. ‘Now, that threat seems to have Government backing, which makes the future of these precious spaces even more perilous.’

Is he right to be concerned?

Strict Legal Procedures

According to the National Allotment Society (NAS), the tone of much of the reporting on this issue is a bit alarmist. In a statement, a spokesperson for NAS sought to reassure that ‘no changes have been made to the statutory protections’ afforded to allotments in England and Wales, adding that ‘statutory allotments cannot be sold or disposed of without following strict legal procedures’.

The spokesperson continued that in each of the eight cases that prompted the recent furore ‘due process has been followed, and in some instances alternative or replacement allotment provision has been secured as part of the disposal process.’

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) also responded to Corbyn’s article. 'The rules on the sale of assets have been in place since 2016 and have not changed,’ a spokesperson said. ‘Ministerial approvals for the sale of allotments in 2024 were lower than the average for recent years,' they added.

Furthermore, a survey of local authority allotment services, conducted last year by the APSE, found that just over half (53%) of its 300 member councils have more than 20 allotment sites in their authority, an 11% increase on 2023. The poll also revealed that 53% also plan to increase the number of allotments in their area.

Beware of Complacency

Still, it is important not to be complacent. The Government is determined to deliver 1.5 million houses by the end of the parliament to help ease the housing crisis. This is a challenging – some might say unrealistic – target, so there is a lot of pressure on local areas to free up land for development.

Speaking about the findings of last year’s APSE survey, Matt Ellis, APSE Principal Advisor, warned that in the wake of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill we can expect ‘enormous pressure to be exerted on councils to convert allotment land for more profitable uses, like housing or commercial development.’

So, while the current panic over allotments might have more to do with it being silly season and with the establishment by Corbyn and Zarah Sultana MP of a new left-wing challenge to Labour, it might be worth keeping an eye on your local allotments, especially if you too enjoy digging potatoes on those cold, wet Sunday afternoons.