Urban Gardening For Ladywood?

The city of Birmingham has the largest provision of allotments of any local authority in the UK with over 7,000 plots. But there is absolutely nothing for the people of Ladywood ward!

The situation isn't much better across the constituency either, with just one solitary site in Soho ward. For the unaware, Birmingham Ladywood constituency (Ladywood, Soho, Aston, Nechells) has the highest percentage of families in the UK living below the official poverty line. When the recession struck, Birmingham Ladywood was the worst affected constituency in the entire country. Bearing these facts in mind, is it not astonishing that there is just one Council allotment for the entire constituency?

The benefits to families below the poverty line could be immense. Growing your own food is cheaper and the potential health benefits are huge.

The Liberal Democrats have a track record of implementing allotment expansion plans in urban areas such as Islington and Sheffield. There is no reason at all why our Liberal Democrat partnership council here in the second city can't follow their best practice.

Today I have written to various folk at the Council and Heart of Birmingham PCT to encourage them to consider supporting further allotment sites in Ladywood.