No. The only way to understand it properly is to do it yourself. Get someone else to look it over may be a good idea.
Applying for a Council farm
- Thread starter cowgirlclaire
- Start date
- Location
- S. Staffs
Oh yes that was what I meant, you must prepare it yourself to be able to discuss it and justify the figures. I just wondered if having an agent would carry any weight with the decision makers.
- Location
- South Wales UK
Where is op from?
The bank manager wouldn't have seen all the other applications so not sure how he/she could possibly say it was a no brainer.
- Location
- South Wales UK
And jack- an- ory tells a good story, for some that get them to ?
No i dont think thats true tbh, just sour grapes by those that didnt. Its usually people from miles away end up with them , not locals with contacts.
borderterribles
Member
- Location
- South Shropshire
Yes,this! As I said earlier, Councils are looking for commitment. It definitely takes commitment to up sticks and move away from family, friends , contacts , etc in order to get a start.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I think they've been caught a few times where the son takes a Council farm, then it ends up just being run with the original farm, rather than as the 'starter unit' they were intended to be.
Personally, with only a short tenure given now, and nowhere to 'progress' to, I'd be wary about taking a Council tenancy anyway.
There’s shades of grey here aren’t there? If your family have/rent say 100 ac and you rent your own 100ac and share some machinery/cooperate I think that’s quite legitimate but if your family has over 500ac say and 2 generations can earn a living already then the additional 100ac is clearly going to be an add on and deprives a more “needy “ applicant.
Its the only hope for some with the dream of farming but they usually end up busting a gut and the bank balance before realising its not the life they dreamnt of
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Yes, there's a lad just up the road on a small council place. Paying £250/ac with a business plan that entailed finishing stock off grass, but the place has been run into the ground for years and not seen a lime man in decades. He needs to lime and reseed it really, but hasn't got the income to do it.
The council ought to know that rent is unsustainable or at the very least halve it for a couple of years to give him money to pay for improvements. However some blame must be directed at the tenant as they should have offered a rent that was economic and reflected the condition of the farm.Yes, there's a lad just up the road on a small council place. Paying £250/ac with a business plan that entailed finishing stock off grass, but the place has been run into the ground for years and not seen a lime man in decades. He needs to lime and reseed it really, but hasn't got the income to do it.
I wish you well, and if you're trying again.....
the fact that you think the bank fella telling you it was a 'no brainer' is relevant suggests a shallow grasp on both accounts.
Him/her especially, for talking such twaddle...unless he had access to all the other applications.
Printing up chequebooks before a decision is made? Barking, presumptive and barking. If I found that out and was on selection panel, it'd be a flashing red light.
The reasons given may well be a convenient excuse, but take heed.....make sure it's 100% correct next time.
After all, if you make an error filling in some DEFRA paperwork, you might lose a years rent at the mis-stroke of the pen.
I am well aware that some such decisions are absolutely made using local/personal knowledge.
And I would also say, the ones I know of turned out to be pretty sound choices.
Because the losing applicants feel it was a stitch-up, doesn't mean the wrong one got in.
Good luck anyway.
Keep trying, learn each time.
Keep building your own stock.
Be looking out for non council rentals in coming years.
As an aside, i once tendered for a very large block of (shite) ground.
I was shortlisted and interviewed - in front of much higher tenders who'd paid agents proper wedge to come up with a plan.
(mine was basic 'fag packet' stuff...albeit that turned out to be prescient in it's predictions...)
Turned out a couple of us were shortlisted and interviewed simply to make up the numbers on what was already a forgone conclusion.
I was p155ed off enough about the 'tease', but imagine what those who'd spent real money on it felt?
Hi all ,
I'm looking for some advice please
I have my eye on a small holding near me ( Council farm) and it is soon going to be advertised for new tenancy, Now i lived and worked on our family council farm for 16+years and i am now wanting my own , i have previously applied etc for other farms through the same council and have had positive feedback etc but always seem to get pipped to the post .
I am looking for some fresh advice from more recent successfull applicants as to what seems to be the most favourable addition to add to the business plan that the agents like to see currently
Without wishing to pry too much, it appears that one if the keys to getting a council holding around here is your personal circumstances. Often if there is a baby involved, the chances of success rise exponentially
No idea why though but seems a common factor on the Sainted Isle
- Location
- South Wales UK
Different in different parts possibly?
Never fancied Council farms myself!
In our neck of the woods they're being sold off,and rightly so IMO. As Neilo says they were intended as a starter unit not a farm for generations. One farm local to us has just been let on a short fbt after the previous farmer was the third generation to farm there. And as far as any new tenants go then a connection to the council appears beneficial. Nothing against council holdings but around here they stopped being used correctly a long time ago
- Location
- south norfolk
I wish you all the best with your application.i know a couple of people in my area who have applied and failed as their faces did not fit and they did not have thick brown envelopes.there are some appalling practices taking place aswell and know of a farm that has been given to previous occupants family and bypassed the whole “democratic” process aswell which is certainly not in keeping with the application process.ill not mention fraud and corruption but the whole system is far from fair.
nick...
nick...
- Location
- North Wales
My advice as a first generation farmer would be to start small and dream big and just take one step at a time at a realistic pace that you and your business can manage.
I started in 2013 with 4 acres of poor grazing and 17 sheep, worked at it inbetween the day job, took on more short term grazing and grew rhe flock. Lambed them in friends sheds amd carried them out before work. In 2017 i was awarded the tenancy of a 45 acre county council holding. At the time i was the youngest tenant on the estate, which does highligt an issue with many of these farms being held on to for generations. I worked hard at my first tenancy and made several improvements and built up Some capital in stock and machinery.
In January of this year i was selected out of 25 applicants for the tenancy of a 100 acre holding on a 20 year FBT. My application was strengthened if not secured on the evidence of the work i put in on the previous farm, a fair progression ladder which should encourage fresh tenants to put the graft in. Im also entering in to a dairy joint venture this autumn which i hope will give my business further scope to progress.
My advice would be to treat your application like a job interview. Do your homework on the farm and make notes during the open day. Sell yourself and your business model and dont be afraid to be different and introduce unconventional methods. Back up your experience and skills with hard evidence as from my experience 60% of the total points were based on agricultural qualifications and full time years in agriculture. Take pictures and ask any exsisting land lords to back up what your saying in black and white. Write your own business plan if you can and read it over and over until you can repeat it in your sleep. If your paying a consultant to write a plan i suggest you use their draft as a template and write your own version out, it will be much easier for you to memorise and i can guarantee you that the shortlisting panel will identify that you have written it yourself and havent just bought one and thrown it in and hoped for the best.
I can only speak highly of Anglesey county council and the opportunity they have given me as a newcomer and a nobody. If it wasnt for the council i doubt id be farming at all, i probably would have lost heart and given up.
Good luck with your application. Doesnt matter how poorly you think your doing, just look back to where you were 5 years ago and you will soon realise how far you have come. Keep going
I started in 2013 with 4 acres of poor grazing and 17 sheep, worked at it inbetween the day job, took on more short term grazing and grew rhe flock. Lambed them in friends sheds amd carried them out before work. In 2017 i was awarded the tenancy of a 45 acre county council holding. At the time i was the youngest tenant on the estate, which does highligt an issue with many of these farms being held on to for generations. I worked hard at my first tenancy and made several improvements and built up Some capital in stock and machinery.
In January of this year i was selected out of 25 applicants for the tenancy of a 100 acre holding on a 20 year FBT. My application was strengthened if not secured on the evidence of the work i put in on the previous farm, a fair progression ladder which should encourage fresh tenants to put the graft in. Im also entering in to a dairy joint venture this autumn which i hope will give my business further scope to progress.
My advice would be to treat your application like a job interview. Do your homework on the farm and make notes during the open day. Sell yourself and your business model and dont be afraid to be different and introduce unconventional methods. Back up your experience and skills with hard evidence as from my experience 60% of the total points were based on agricultural qualifications and full time years in agriculture. Take pictures and ask any exsisting land lords to back up what your saying in black and white. Write your own business plan if you can and read it over and over until you can repeat it in your sleep. If your paying a consultant to write a plan i suggest you use their draft as a template and write your own version out, it will be much easier for you to memorise and i can guarantee you that the shortlisting panel will identify that you have written it yourself and havent just bought one and thrown it in and hoped for the best.
I can only speak highly of Anglesey county council and the opportunity they have given me as a newcomer and a nobody. If it wasnt for the council i doubt id be farming at all, i probably would have lost heart and given up.
Good luck with your application. Doesnt matter how poorly you think your doing, just look back to where you were 5 years ago and you will soon realise how far you have come. Keep going