The papers are grouped together on this page under various headings, so click on the relevant link in the list below:

Self Management

Lease

Governance

Managing money

Raising money

Tenants

Site management

Advice

Self management

Schedule of Self Management Tools and Advice – A paper listing all current management advice including e-mail advice not on this web page.

Self Management Checklist – A paper setting out the things to do for allotment societies June 2013.

Lease

This section contains:

  • copies of the model lease that was agreed following negotiations between the Federation and the London Borough of Barnet
  • explanatory notes for the model lease
  • copies of model schedules that are not included in the model lease
  • guidance on registering the lease at the Land Registry and the necessary forms
  • guidance on registering changes of trustees and addresses at the Land Registry

Model Leases

The Council’s new lease is available in two versions, one for unincorporated associations and one for Industrial and Provident Societies. The differences are purely technical and the two lease types are the same in substance. There is some scope for modifying the lease to take account of site-specific issues.

Model Lease for Unincorporated Associations – version 2 November 2012
Model Lease for Industrial and Provident Societies – version 29 October 2012
Explanatory Notes for the Model Lease – version 29 October 2012
Schedule 1 (the Property) – see Model Lease above
Schedule 2 (Tenant Rights) – see Model Lease above
Schedule 3 (Exceptions and Reservations) – see Model Lease above
Schedule 4 (Annual Return) – see here
Schedule 5 (Constitution Minimum Criteria) – see here
Schedule 6 (Form of Access Licence) – see here
Schedule 7 (Schedule of Condition) – Individual to each site
Site Survey – The Council’s survey form which is being used to record the condition of each site, this record, together with photographs, to be incorporated into the lease.

Registering the Lease

A paper showing how to register your new lease at the Land Registry which you are required to do by law. The paper explains which of the following valuation reports you should submit with your application.

DVS Report 1 – see here
DVS Report 2 – see here
DVS Report 3 – see here
DVS Report 4 – see here
Land Registry form AP1 – see here
Land Registry form DI – see here

Changing Trustees and Addresses

A supplementary paper (07/2022) simplifying how your allotment society can easily arrange for the Land Registry title deeds to be changed when new trustees are appointed to replace retiring (or other circumstances) trustees.

The original guidance paper (7/2017) is available here.

Governance

Constitutions

BAF has produced two model constitutions, for unincorporated and incorporated societies, with explanatory notes, which it recommends for all allotment societies. They contain those items which the Council’s lease requires.

Managing Meetings

A paper (7/2017) on the planning, paperwork and recording of allotment society meetings

Role Descriptions

A paper (7/2017) of model role descriptions for the committee, its members and its officers.

Risk Management

A paper (7/2017) on the analysis and management of risks to allotment societies. The three following papers address in greater depth particular aspects of risk management.

Tree Management for Safety

A paper (7/2017) showing how societies can safely manage their trees.

Asbestos Management

A paper (7/2017) showing how societies can safely manage asbestos cement with links to HSE information.

Insurance

A paper (9/2013) of advice, sources and comparisons following changes in the insurance industry.

Data Management

A paper (4/2018) showing how societies can comply with the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

A model privacy notice (5/2018) that societies may use as a starting point for their privacy notices as required by the GDPR

Complaints Procedure

The complaints procedure is under review at present and will aim to provide societies with updated and more compliant processes. This paper will only be available to allotment societies management by application to: secretary@barnetallotments.org.uk

A new (18/09/22) BAF Policy Document – i] BAF Code of Conduct for Society Committee Members, Directors, Partners and Trustees [collectively “Committee Attendees” CAs]; ii) Complaints Procedure for CAs. Restricted to foregoing officials by application only to secretary@barnetallotments.org.uk

Annual Work Plan

A paper (7/2017) showing how to plan the routine activities of managing your society and site so that nothing gets forgotten

Managing money

Routine Money Management

A paper (7/2017) showing how allotment societies can manage their everyday money matters.

Strategic Financial Management

A paper (7/2017) showing how societies can strategically plan their operations and the financing of them.

Long Term Financial Planning Tool

An MS Excel spreadsheet to enable the planning necessary for allotment infrastructure replacement. Please note that there are two versions of this tool and you should download the one which suits your version of MS Excel.

Long Term Financial Planning Tool for MS Excel 2003 or earlier with .xls file suffix
Long Term Financial Planning Tool for MS Excel 2007 or later with .xlsx file suffix

Raising money

Grant Fund Raising

A paper (7/2017) setting a general approach to your organisation’s strategy as a foundation for successful grant fund raising, together with some specific sources of grants and where to get more information.

Allotment Management Policies for Grant Applications

A paper (7/2017) with sample policies showing how societies can produce written policies when required to support grant applications.

Tenants

Letting Allotment Plots

A paper (7/2017) describing ways to manage the marketing of plots, waiting lists, joint tenancies and non-cultivation.

Tenancy Agreements and Rules

A new and revised tenancy agreement has been drafted and will be made available from April 2024.

Problems with Tenants

A paper (11/2017) describing the problems which tenants can cause and how to deal with them including the powers of societies, warnings and terminations, managing complaints and the legal duty to act fairly. This paper is only available to allotment societies on application to BAF.

Private Gates

A paper (7/2017) of advice on the management of private gates.

A Sample Handbook

Three papers showing the 2013 Finchley Horticultural Society’s handbook for plot holders and incorporating amended rules which take into account the Council’s new self-management lease conditions.

FHS Tenant Handbook 2013 Designers Notes
FHS Tenant Handbook 2013 PDF for E-Mail
FHS Tenant Handbook 2013 Text in Word

Site management

Site Safety

A paper (7/2017) describing how to identify and manage common allotment risks, where to go for further information and some suggestions for safety officers and first aid boxes.

Organising Work

A paper (11/2016) showing how to get things done, whether by contractors or volunteers

Site Entrances, Signs and Communications

A paper (7/2017) showing how to say the right things to the right people in the right way

Fly Tipping

A paper (7/2018), that discusses how to address an active fly-tipping issue and explores some prevention methods to stop the problem before it starts.

This paper was written for an agricultural insurance provider and its author has kindly offered it to the Federation for the website.

Sources of Supply and Useful Information

A paper listing suppliers of goods and services recommended by allotment societies in Barnet, together with some useful information including an appendix on security.

This paper was written in 2012 and hence some of the information it contains is out of date, but it has been left here as part of the historical record of self-management. The listing has been updated and other suppliers added and may now be found in the goods and services page of the website.

Advice

National Allotment Society (NAS) offers practical advice on running a site and allotment gardening. They have advice on allotment legislation and law and a shortlist of sources of grant funds.

The Allotments Regeneration Initiative (ARI and now part of NAS) offers a wealth of practical advice on everything to do with the management of allotment sites including fund raising advice and sources of grant funds.

Strategy Document

A paper can be found here

Federation Constitution

A paper can be found here

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