LIB DEMS SET TO BOOST SHEFFIELD'S ALLOTMENTS

12.00.00am GMT Fri 23rd Jan 2009

The local Liberal Democrat Council is set to approve a £50,000 programme to make more allotments available in Sheffield. Lib Dems believe in boosting the number of allotments because it will allow local people to be able to be able to grow their own produce. It will mean more opportunities to be green, healthy and be able to save money at a time when everyone is feeling the pinch.

Lib Dem Councillors are expected to agree to spending to bring up to scratch 212 allotments in the city that are currently unlet, in order to help meet a rise in demand amongst local people for a plot.

Cllr Shaffaq Mohammed, Lib Dem Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Local Environment from Sheffield City Council said: -

"More and more local people are getting into growing their own food on an allotment. And this is for all sorts of reasons. It's a great pastime, and a healthy, and sociable way to spend time in the outdoors. And it's green too. If you've grown that fruit and veg, there are no food miles, you know exactly where it's come from and its cheaper."

"So opening unused, unlettable allotments to the growing numbers of people who want to tend an allotment is clearly something we should be doing."

Councillors will also be asked to approve that a review take place on the Council's allotment policies and spending on allotments, as part of a wider review of the budget for the entire Parks and Countryside service.

Sheffield City Council's Cabinet will examine these recommendations at their meeting on Wednesday 28th January. The recommendations have been made by the Culture, Economy and Sustainability Scrutiny and Policy Development Board.