The list of what Paul Cooper grows in his allotment in St Helens, Merseyside, could fill a greengrocer’s stock list. There is oriental mustard and rocket, peas, broad beans and jerusalem artichokes. The early season potatoes are in the ground; the strawberry plants are budding, and a mature apple tree that predates the allotment’s creation in 1969 will be harvested later this year.
But Cooper, 51, worries his lifelong passion is under threat. He is one of many facing huge increases in allotment rents despite a cost of living crisis that has squeezed Britons’ budgets. Some have seen rent demands approaching 500%, prompting petitions to reverse the decisions and leading some to consider abandoning their plots.
