Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide access to land to individuals and communities seeking to establish individual or community food growing schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government values green spaces such as allotments and considers them to be an important community asset, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. Allotments play an important role in helping people to live a healthy and active lifestyle and in providing food.

Local councils have a statutory duty under Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 to provide a sufficient number of allotments based on local demand in an area and to let them to people residing in that area who want them. The provision of allotment spaces is the responsibility of local councils as they are best placed to determine the demand in their area.

In 2012, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published a best practice guide for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables. This is available on the GOV.UK website at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide.

The Local Government Association also provides guidance on allotments and community food growing schemes in its “Growing in the community” guidance, which is available online at: www.local.gov.uk/growing-community-second-edition.