Vote as at closure, Sunday, 1400, June 22nd.
The results for the e-vote/postal ballot re all volunteers en bloc, held in connection with the PPAA 2025 AGM are as follows:
- Total votes cast: sixty-five, of which sixty-two were e-votes, and three were paper ballots returned.
- Votes FOR all candidates en bloc: sixty-four.
- Votes AGAINST all candidates en bloc: one.
- Spoiled ballots: none
The standing Committee members were therefore all returned. There were no additional volunteers.
To request a list of plot numbers, and the way that their respective tenants voted, please email PPAA Committee.
Meeting
Present:
PPAA Committee:
Jane Davies, plot 88a, Lewis Evans, plot 88b, Wendy Gunter, plot 113b, (Treasurer) Nerys Lloyd-Pierce, plot 44, Martin Pasek, plot 73, Sue Pasek, plot 73 (Acting Chair), Rhys Williams, plot 137a.
Apologies:
Gordon Goldsmith, plot 120a, Mike Powell, plot 142.
Attendees:
Martin Keane, plot 127a, Adrian Peters, plot 157 and Cardiff Salad Garden, Louise Shenstone, plot 157, Roger Benson, plot 127b, Tim Robinson, plot 104a, Katrina Couper, plot 104a, Dick Waters, plot 103b, Chris Roberts, plot 11, Sera Jones, plot 129, Jane Bush, plots 51a, 49a, Caroline Ritchie, plots 51a, 49a, Linda Burnell, plot 68a, Billy Turvey, plot 112b, Reg Matthews, plots 13b, 24b, Sally Holland, plot 12a, Mary Pope, plot 56b, Monica Nobrega, plot 62, Teresa Morris, plot 106, Sian Roberts, plot 116, Julie Parker, plot 146a.
Apologies:
Margaret Mathias, plot 159, Wyn Williams, plot 97b, Mel Ford, plot 64, Russ Casey, plot 94a, Rhian Llewellyn plot 101b, Amanda Tucker, plot 141.
Acting Chair’s welcome and round-up of past year: Sue
Sue explained that she and Wendy were the alternating Acting Chairs, and that the substantive office, along with that of Site Representative remained unfilled.
Among the fairly numerous new tenants over the year to date, Sue was pleased to mention that nine of them were now on previously badly overgrown plots, alongside the historic wall, but which have been cleared and restituted. The plots were on average about five perches each, so this represents a considerable growing area.
Regarding the underground water leak, Sue reported that the Council had mistakenly recorded the leak as having been fixed, but that they have now been informed of the actual position. The water is now being left on so that their logger can relay the overnight base rate flow, that is, the leakage rate.
(There is a fuller round-up of the past year in the website article reminding readers of the coming AGM.)
Treasurer’s report: Wendy
Wendy brought paper copies of the last Income and Expenditure Account, and passed them round.
She reported that there was a healthy balance. Major items of outlay had been the tree works done by contractors and waste disposal of rubbish left on vacated plots.
Wendy explained that a particular difficulty was the collection and documentation of PPAA subscriptions paid, with quite a few tenants not supplying plot numbers and so on.
Lewis Evans asked if the payment of the subs could be made compulsory, and Martin Keane explained – from his previous experience on the Committee – that it couldn’t make rules for members.
John Morgan wondered if the payment of subs could be made by means of a convenient electronic device on site, but as there is no electricity supply or internet connection, the general view was that this would perhaps necessitate more complication than it saved. It was estimated that about half of tenants paid the subs for full membership, entitling them to manure – for which PPAA pay a gratuity on each delivery – and wood chip.
Invitation to members to stand for Committee membership: Sue
All existing Committee members offered to be returned for the next year.
Dr. Wanda O’Connor kindly offered to join with the Committee to help as and when she could.
Caroline Ritchie asked what was involved in the Site Representative’s role. Sue and other Committee members gave examples, notably that it might involve showing up to forty people from the Waiting List a year round the site, to offer them plots.
A brief description of the e-voting/postal voting system – which was agreed by eight to one at the preceding PPAA Committee meeting – was given. As that precision had not yet been given at that point, Martin Keane wondered whether the decision to move to e-voting had been decided constitutionally, that is, by a properly quorate Committee, and the foregoing makes clear that it was.
[Update 09 06 25: the voting instructions for the e-vote have been modified, so as not to result in many disqualified votes. There have been none so far.]
Any other business: Attendees
Dick Waters was interested in the views of PPAA Committee as to specifics in the Council’s proposed new Tenancy Agreement, which is presently the subject of a consultation involving all Cardiff allotment tenants. Sue explained that the consultation was aimed at individual plot holders, and not at committees, so the proper place to express views would be in the response form for that consultation, and perhaps not to committees. Although it was of general interest to hear views, the number of possible issues put a detailed hearing beyond the scope of such a meeting as an association AGM.
Julie Parker said that she still hadn’t been billed for her plot rental by the Council. Sue explained that this was a common problem, and was partly perhaps due to the changeover to the new Orkastrate IT system for managing allotment tenancies in Cardiff, and has been acknowledged by the Council. Tenants were reassured that none would lose their plots as a result. However, on the other hand, Sue reminded those who actually had received a bill to make sure that they did indeed pay within the time limit.
Wanda asked whether her understanding was correct, that if a plot holder were suffering intrusive or other unwanted behaviour from another plot holder, then they would need to report the matter to the police themselves. Sue said that she was indeed correct. Martin added, that if there weren’t enough evidence of a crime to get the police to act, then it was always open to the tenant to take their own action under civil law, e.g. to apply for a Restraining Order.
Committee members:
Martin had a proposal to make a procedural change for members to serve on the Committee, which would involve them entering into a short, simple agreement – perhaps in the form of a deed – not to act in ways which were actively adverse to the Constitution, or to the provisions of the Local Management Agreement, or to the terms of tenancy, or which broke any law, by law, or similar codes relating to allotments. He envisaged that this would probably mean a change to the Constitution, which in turn would need a majority vote of PPAA members and approval by the Council.
He explained, that the reason for proposing this was what has happened at a significant number of sites across the country, including some in Cardiff, where honourable, industrious, and effective association committees had been collapsed, after e.g. grievance-motivated candidates had managed to get themselves elected, often at poorly-attended AGMs.
The proposal was generally supported, with Dick Waters kindly offering to work with Martin, to produce a first draft of the agreement envisaged.
Martin Keane expressed concern, that it was difficult enough to get volunteers as it stood, and that such an agreement might deter some who would otherwise offer. Martin P reassured that the envisaged agreement would in no way impose any positive obligation on anyone. That is, it wouldn’t make doing any general or particular work a binding duty for what are, and would remain, entirely at-will, unpaid volunteers.
There was no further business, and so Sue wound up the meeting, and thanked all for attending.
The Committee greatly appreciated the kind round of applause from attendees.
The meeting finished at 1220.
PPA Website Team
