71st annual report to Parliament on smallholdings in England, 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 (with correction slip)
Updated 7 September 2023
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2023
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Correction slip
Title: 71st Annual Report to Parliament on Local Authority Smallholdings in England, 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021
Session: 2022/2023
ISBN: 978-1-5286-3387-1
Date of laying: 23 May 2022
Correction 1:
Financial position of authorities: Total non-operational income
Text currently reads:
£-136,000
Text should read:
£136,000
Correction 2:
Financial position of authorities: non-operational deficit
Text currently reads:
£703,600
Text should read:
£431,600
Correction 3:
Financial position of authorities: revenue account net surplus
Text currently reads:
£12,357,000
Text should read:
£12,628,900
Correction 4:
Closing summary: revenue account net surplus
Text currently reads:
£12.4 million
Text should read:
£12.6 million
Correction 5:
Table 9c: Non-operational account income – Indirect Income
Text currently reads:
-136,000
Text should read:
136,000
Correction 6:
Table 9c: Non-operational account income – TOTAL
Text currently reads:
-136,000
Text should read:
136,000
Correction 7:
Table 9e: Revenue account net surplus – Non-operational account deficit
Text currently reads:
-703,600
Text should read:
-431,600
Correction 8:
Table 9e: Revenue account net surplus – NET SURPLUS
Text currently reads:
12,357,000
Text should read:
12,628,900
Date of correction: 21 August 2023
Introduction
This report is required under section 59 of the 1970 Agriculture Act (1970 Act). It provides statistical details to Parliament of the land let as smallholdings by local authorities across England, for the financial year 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.
Local authority smallholdings, or council farms (or county farms) as they are now more commonly known are administered under Part III of the 1970 Act. Under that legislation smallholdings authorities are required to make it their general aim to provide opportunities for persons with sufficient experience to be a farmer on their own account as well as to have regard to the general interests of agriculture and of good estate management. These council farms are generally capable of providing full-time employment for not more than two people.
The 1970 Agriculture Act defines smallholdings authorities as county councils for England. However, there have been many changes to local authority structures since the 1970 Act and consequently, some unitary authorities and borough and district authorities have continued the responsibilities of former county councils in letting land as smallholdings. Hence, it was decided in 2015 that it is important to include data in this report from these authorities as well as county councils where possible to extend the coverage and value of this report in providing more accurate details of land let as smallholdings from councils across England.
Council farms have an important role to play within their communities and in providing new entrants with opportunities to establish and develop farming businesses. These farms bring benefits to the wider public through educational visits, environmental enrichment and local food. The value of the council farm structure in supporting new entrants and progressive tenants as well as delivering wider public benefits is demonstrated in the case studies provided by Cheshire East County Council, Devon County Council and Wiltshire County Council. Defra wants to encourage local authorities to retain and invest in their farm estates. As a result, Defra is developing a New Entrant Support Scheme to create lasting opportunities for new entrants to establish successful and innovative businesses. Over the last year Defra has been working with stakeholders and users to co-design this scheme. In January 2022, the Secretary of State announced that he wished to pilot models of support for new entrants being proposed in the co-design process to better understand what works. Defra is currently working with users and stakeholders to design the details of the pilot scheme ready to have the pilots operating from later this year.
The data in this report are taken from the most recent annual survey on council farms conducted by the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) which includes responses from 31 local authorities that let land as smallholdings. This report includes statistical information on the area and number of smallholdings held by reporting local authorities, and details on tenancies and the financial position of the authorities in relation to their farm estates.
Defra thanks CIPFA and all the local authorities who have kindly provided the statistical information presented in this report and to Cheshire East County Council, Devon County Council and Wiltshire County Council for providing the case study information.
Statistical information on authority smallholdings
From the 43 authorities approached (21 unitary authorities and 22 county councils) 31 submitted data and details of let land as smallholdings. However, in some cases, these submitted data sets were incomplete. The data presented in this report includes only that provided by the reporting authorities; no estimates have been made for incomplete data.
Total area of smallholding land
As of 31 March 2021, the total area of land held by 31 of the reporting authorities in England was 67,699 hectares (for the whole estate), of which 65,932 hectares were let as smallholdings (for 31 reporting authorities). Table 1 provides figures for the area of smallholdings held by reporting authorities. The land area reported as let for smallholdings is lower than the last financial year. However, it should be noted that there are far fewer reporting authorities this year and therefore, the change in land area over the year cannot be concluded from this. The data on acquisitions and disposals indicates a decrease in the area of land held by reporting authorities of 0.4% (see Acquisitions and Disposals sections) which may be a better indicator of land area change during the year.
Farming sectors
Each reporting authority classifies themselves to a farming sector based on the predominant farming activity (by area) carried out within that authority. The distribution (as at 31 March 2021) is shown in Figure 1. The most common sectors were Mixed/General and Arable farming and the least common was Horticulture, which none of the reporting authorities stated as the predominant farming activity.
Figure 1: Percentage of authorities by predominant farming sector [a] [b]
| Farming sector | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Arable | 27.6 |
| Dairy | 17.2 |
| Dairy/Stock Rearing | 20.7 |
| Mixed/General | 31.0 |
| Stock Rearing | 3.4 |
| Horticulture | 0.0 |
[a] - Each authority is classified to one farming sector based on the predominant farming activity (by area) carried out within that authority. The farming sector definitions were established and agreed as a result of consultations between the data provider (CIPFA) and the authorities themselves.
[b] - For the 29 authorities that provided a farm business sector
Numbers of smallholding lets
The 31 authorities that provided data reported that they owned and let 1,978 smallholdings as at 31 March 2021. Table 2 provides a breakdown by each authority.
Rent due for smallholdings
For those 28 authorities that provided data, a total of around £20 million in rent was due for smallholdings as at 31 March 2021. Table 3 provides figures for the rent due by each authority. Table 4 shows average rent per hectare values by farm business sector for the 27 local authority farms where sector, rent and area data were all available. Of the total area of land let as smallholdings, the average rent was £310 per hectare for the 28 local authority farms where both rent and area data were available. When this rental value is split into agriculture licences, equipped and bare land farms, it reveals that an equipped farm on average costs £43 (15%) more per hectare than a bare land farm.
Acquisitions and disposals
There has been a decrease of 264 (0.4%) hectares in area of land held by the 31 reporting authorities that provided data, as of 31 March 2021. Table 5 provides figures for land acquired and disposed of by each authority in 2020 to 2021: a total of 381 hectares were acquired by five authorities and a total of 645 hectares were sold or otherwise disposed of by 15 authorities.
Number of smallholding tenants
For the 31 authorities that provided data, there were 1,416 tenants as at 31 March 2021. Table 6 provides figures on the number of tenants by each authority in 2020 to 2021: 100 tenancies were granted and 119 tenancies were terminated. Table 7 provides a breakdown of tenancies granted and terminated. For the 29 authorities that provided data, a total of 34 tenancies (20 equipped farms; 14 bare land farms) were granted to new tenants. These are first time entrants to the individual estate, who have not previously occupied a council farm. In addition, there were 9 internal promotions, no tenancies had been transferred from another estate, and 9 tenancies were ended due to the tenant leaving the estate in order to seek other opportunities.
Type of smallholdings tenancy
Of the 30 authorities that provided information there were a total of 285 lifetime tenancies, 152 retirement tenancies, 970 Farm Business Tenancies, as well as 330 secondary lettings. Figures for each of the authorities are provided in Tables 8. Farm Business Tenancies represent 69% of the agreements however these can vary in duration. Figure 2 demonstrates the type of tenancy agreements in place. Lifetime tenancies were the most common (20%), 17% were Farm Business Tenancies that run for less than 5 years, 19% were Farm Business Tenancies that run between 5 and 10 years, and 33% were Farm Business Tenancies that run for more than 10 years. Retirement tenancies were the least common (11%).
Figure 2: Percentage of smallholdings by tenancy duration [a] [b]
| Tenancy duration | Per cent |
|---|---|
| Lifetime | 20.3 |
| Retirement | 10.8 |
| Farm Business Tenancy < 5 years | 17.5 |
| Farm Business Tenancy 5 - 10 years | 18.8 |
| Farm Business Tenancy 10 - 15 years | 15.9 |
| Farm Business Tenancy > 15 years | 16.8 |
[a] - Equipped and bare land farms only
[b] - For the 30 authorities that provided tenancy information
Financial position of authorities
For the 21 authorities that provided complete financial data. Their total revenue in the year ending 31 March 2021 showed a total operational income of £20,670,500 against a total operational expenditure of £7,609,900, giving an operational surplus of £13,060,600. Total non-operational income was £-136,000, against a total non-operational expenditure of £567,600, giving a non-operational deficit of £703,600. The revenue account net surplus was therefore £12,357,000. Table 9 summarises the total revenue account for land held by authorities for the year ended 31 March 2021. Please note that the financial position is for the 21 authorities that provided complete financial data and is therefore not comparable to other years.
Case studies
Cheshire East’s Council Farm Estate
Cheshire East’s Council Farm estate covers approximately 4,837 acres and includes 50 farms. In May 2019 Cheshire East Council declared a Climate Emergency and set an ambitious target to become Carbon Neutral by 2025. Alongside its core purpose of providing entry level farming opportunities, the Council wants its farms to provide an example of how good estate management and best practice in farming are compatible with good environmental practice. So, when it advertised an opportunity in Spring 2021, it was important to find tenants that shared these ambitions. New tenants were asked to carry out a baseline Natural Capital Assessment at the commencement of the tenancy and this will be used to demonstrate the impact of their practices throughout the 15-year term.
Barnfield Farm had been occupied by the previous tenant for 47 years providing a great opportunity for a new entrant to make their own mark. The farm comprises a 3-bedroom detached farmhouse, a range of buildings that need modernising and good quality land extending to 87 acres. Applicants submitted a range of diversified business proposals demonstrating how good farming practice and environmental management are compatible, including identifying measures that would contribute towards the management of carbon on-farm.
The successful applicant, a new entrant from Gloucestershire, came with a range of experiences and submitted a mixed farming proposal of calf rearing alongside a sheep flock, together with plans to plant up an area of woodland to create a small campsite. Throughout the proposal the applicant demonstrated a desire to farm in an environmentally sustainable way by utilising a low carbon system, whilst maintaining focus on investing, building and running a productive farming business. The applicant also expressed an ambition to move onto a larger holding at the end of the 15-year tenancy. With a new family member just arrived, their journey is just beginning.
Wiltshire’s Farm Estate
Wiltshire’s Rural Estate currently extends to 1,972 hectares (4,875 acres) with 30 equipped farms, four cottages and numerous parcels of bare land. The estate is primarily pasture based and the majority of the farms are let for dairying purposes. These dairy farms have an average size of 54 hectares (132 acres) and are predominantly located in the northern half of the county. The non-dairy units are let as arable, beef or outdoor pig units, some on a part-time and others on a full-time basis.
Here is a recent account of new entrants on the Wiltshire farm estate:
In December 2021, Chris and Kat moved into Manor Farm, a 22-acre smallholding, to start their dream of having their own farm as a base to expand their budding empire. Kat works on a local dairy farm and has a well-rounded wealth of knowledge behind her. With a well-established reputation, Chris wanted a headquarters for his small-scale agricultural contracting business which specialises in grassland management, fencing, haymaking, and hedge cutting, whilst also supporting other farmers and contractors on a machine and labour basis. With over 25 years of combined experience, the innovative pair have also recently set up a sheep enterprise with a number of different goals, including natural land management as well as providing lamb boxes to the local community.
Devon’s County Farm Estate
NPS South West Limited manages the County Farms Estate of 3,873 hectares (9,570 acres). Strategic, policy and operational management decisions are considered by its own Committee. The Estate currently comprises 68 fully equipped residential dairy and mixed livestock farms categorised into starter and progression units ranging from 37 to 301 acres. All new farm lets are by Farm Business Tenancy Agreements under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995.
The Estate aims to provide people with their first opportunity to farm but with a view that within a reasonable time frame, they secure an independent livelihood from agriculture.
Devon County Council has successfully re-let four internal progression farms and seven new entrant starter farms. Of those tenants leaving the Estate three have secured farm tenancies in the private sector, two have bought farms, one has taken over a family farm, and one has retired. One of those tenants progressing beyond the estate to a larger farm in the private sector is Colin Pople who has spent almost 25 years on the Estate and has come ‘runner up’ on a number of occasions for farms being let in the private sector. Colin Pople secured the tenancy of Manor Farm, Winterbourne Steepleton, advertised to let on the open market by Savills in summer 2021.
Colin said:
I have really enjoyed my time on the Council Farms Estate, starting as a new entrant in 1998 before progressing to a larger farm on the Estate in 2000. Without the Council Farm Service it is difficult to imagine how we would have been able to start farming. Ever since, we have been able to grow our farm business with additional land and infrastructure being provided by the Council as well as renting extra land locally. We have tried for a number of tenancies in the private sector over the years but the level of competition is really tough. We persevered as we knew we were always close to securing a tenancy and we are delighted to have secured the tenancy of Manor Farm which will enable us to expand our farm business ever further.
The four progression farms re-let internally include:
-
Topshayes Farm, Aylesbeare – a 179 acre residential dairy farm
-
Southacott Farm, Mariansleigh – a 217 acre residential dairy farm
-
Great Stone Farm, South Molton – a 181 acre residential dairy farm
-
Higher Bradaford Farm, Virginstow – a 137 acre residential dairy farm
The seven starter farms advertised to let on the open market to new entrants include:
-
Higher Artiscombe Farm, Gulworthy – a 216 acre residential dairy holding
-
Little Stone Farm, South Molton – a 101 acre residential dairy holding
-
Nunford Farm, Colyton – a 74 acre residential stock farm
-
Coppa Dolla Farm, Denbury – a 73 acre residential stock farm
-
Ten Oaks Farm, Roborough – a 145 acre residential dairy farm
-
Thorndon Farm, Broadwoodwidger – a 120 acre residential dairy farm
-
Perriton Barton Farm, Whimple – a 55 acre residential dairy farm
One of the new entrants awarded a starter farm is Sam Turner who secured the tenancy of Nunford Farm, Colyton. He is farming deer for the production of venison. He plans to sell some wholesale but mostly direct to high end restaurants and the public.
Sam said:
As someone who did not grow up on a farm, I am a genuine new entrant to the farming industry. I am not quite sure what first sparked my interest in farming, but I am so glad I became part of this fantastic industry. I have already started to farm on rented bare land to prove my business plan has the potential to be successful, but I have limited security and no prospect of expansion or making efficiency improvements where I am. The Council has taken a bit of a risk with me being a new entrant proposing an unconventional and arguably niche farm business. The interview process was tough, but it also helped me improve my understanding of my own business and provide me with greater confidence I was building a sound and viable enterprise. Without the Council Farm Service, I do not know how I would have been able to take the step from part time to full time farmer.
Closing summary
This report indicates that council farms continue to play an important role in the tenanted agricultural sector across England. Although the data set is incomplete it reveals that council farms cover approximately 65,932 hectares of agricultural land. This land provides approximately 1,978 holdings for around 1,416 tenant farmers.
Approximately 55% of the lettings are equipped farms (1,079 equipped holdings) and 34 lettings were made to new entrants during 2020 to 2021. The report shows that the 21 reporting authorities who submitted full financial information generated a revenue account net surplus of around £12.4 million in 2020 to 2021.
Tables
Table 1: Area of smallholdings land held by smallholdings authorities as at 31 March 2021 [a]
| Local authority | Equipped farm let area (ha) | Bare land farm let area (ha) | Agricultural license let area (ha) | Total let area (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 3,187 | 834 | 19 | 4,040 |
| Buckinghamshire | 1,292 | 488 | 121 | 1,900 |
| Cambridgeshire | 11,316 | 1,836 | 0 | 13,152 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 1,740 | 0 | 125 | 1,865 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 584 | 0 | 136 | 720 |
| Cornwall | 3,906 | 120 | 260 | 4,286 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 65 | 32 | 98 |
| Devon | 3,244 | 138 | 476 | 3,857 |
| Dorset | 2,092 | 122 | 132 | 2,346 |
| Durham | 68 | 162 | 0 | 230 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 1,686 | 770 | 0 | 2,455 |
| Essex | 68 | 11 | 0 | 79 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 0 | 85 | 0 | 85 |
| Herefordshire | 156 | 17 | 34 | 207 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 2,231 | 63 | 428 | 2,722 |
| Lincolnshire | 5,524 | 1,130 | 0 | 6,655 |
| Medway | 0 | 24 | 28 | 52 |
| Milton Keynes | 169 | 18 | 0 | 187 |
| Norfolk | 5,140 | 1,490 | 92 | 6,722 |
| North Lincolnshire | 36 | 14 | 0 | 50 |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 218 | 303 | 0 | 521 |
| Oxfordshire | 16 | 330 | 6 | 351 |
| Shropshire | 369 | 0 | 107 | 476 |
| Somerset | 794 | 268 | 29 | 1,091 |
| South Gloucestershire | 327 | 43 | 0 | 370 |
| Staffordshire | 2,597 | 55 | 346 | 2,998 |
| Suffolk | 3,419 | 613 | 790 | 4,821 |
| Surrey | 646 | 128 | 20 | 794 |
| Swindon | 480 | 53 | 9 | 542 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 152 | 215 | 1 | 368 |
| Wiltshire | 1,566 | 280 | 46 | 1,892 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 53,023 | 9,675 | 3,237 | 65,932 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
Table 2: Number of smallholding lets held by smallholdings authorities as at 31 March 2021 [a]
| Local authority | Equipped farm lets (n) | Bare land farm lets (n) | Agricultural license lets (n) | Total smallholdings lets (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 16 | 19 | 6 | 41 |
| Buckinghamshire | 40 | 46 | 9 | 95 |
| Cambridgeshire | 164 | 108 | 0 | 272 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 50 | 0 | 12 | 62 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 23 | 0 | 9 | 32 |
| Cornwall | 87 | 5 | 15 | 107 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| Devon | 65 | 9 | 29 | 103 |
| Dorset | 42 | 7 | 9 | 58 |
| Durham | 1 | 18 | 0 | 19 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 49 | 37 | 25 | 111 |
| Essex | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Herefordshire | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 66 | 3 | 34 | 103 |
| Lincolnshire | 87 | 85 | 0 | 172 |
| Medway | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Milton Keynes | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Norfolk | 100 | 78 | 34 | 212 |
| North Lincolnshire | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 8 | 15 | 0 | 23 |
| Oxfordshire | 2 | 26 | 7 | 35 |
| Shropshire | 17 | 0 | 4 | 21 |
| Somerset | 24 | 12 | 8 | 44 |
| South Gloucestershire | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Staffordshire | 70 | 5 | 26 | 101 |
| Suffolk | 66 | 27 | 42 | 135 |
| Surrey | 34 | 12 | 11 | 57 |
| Swindon | 13 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 10 | 19 | 2 | 31 |
| Wiltshire | 31 | 15 | 27 | 73 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 1,079 | 573 | 326 | 1,978 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
Table 3: Rent due for smallholdings by smallholdings authorities as at 31 March 2021 [a] [b] [c]
| Local authority | Rent due for equipped farms (£) | Rent due for bare land farms (£) | Rent due for agricultural licenses (£) | Total rent due for land let as smallholdings (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 523,400 | 167,600 | 27,000 | 718,000 |
| Buckinghamshire | x | x | x | x |
| Cambridgeshire | 3,982,800 | 604,000 | 0 | 4,586,800 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 656,900 | 0 | 36,300 | 693,200 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 181,200 | 0 | 41,100 | 222,300 |
| Cornwall | 1,293,100 | 28,700 | 47,700 | 1,369,600 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 9,200 | 3,600 | 12,700 |
| Devon | 977,200 | 27,100 | 75,200 | 1,079,500 |
| Dorset | 642,600 | 27,000 | 32,400 | 702,000 |
| Durham | x | x | x | x |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 395,000 | 266,100 | 100 | 661,300 |
| Essex | 32,500 | 2,800 | 0 | 35,300 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 0 | 31,700 | 0 | 31,700 |
| Herefordshire | 48,800 | 3,400 | 6,000 | 58,200 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 806,800 | 14,200 | 117,600 | 938,700 |
| Lincolnshire | 1,718,000 | 369,200 | 0 | 2,087,200 |
| Medway | 0 | 3,400 | 8,500 | 11,900 |
| Milton Keynes | 51,600 | 2,000 | 0 | 53,600 |
| Norfolk | 1,745,800 | 421,200 | 22,300 | 2,189,300 |
| North Lincolnshire | 8,000 | 2,100 | 0 | 10,100 |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 77,900 | 65,000 | 0 | 142,800 |
| Oxfordshire | 5,100 | 48,000 | 5,600 | 58,600 |
| Shropshire | 110,100 | 0 | 2,400 | 112,500 |
| Somerset | 211,000 | 102,000 | 11,500 | 324,500 |
| South Gloucestershire | 62,100 | 9,000 | 0 | 71,200 |
| Staffordshire | 1,000,900 | 13,000 | 55,800 | 1,069,700 |
| Suffolk | 1,021,300 | 197,100 | 238,700 | 1,457,200 |
| Surrey | x | x | x | x |
| Swindon | 187,800 | 10,100 | 4,000 | 201,900 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 110,700 | 59,200 | 800 | 170,600 |
| Wiltshire | 450,500 | 45,100 | 5,600 | 501,200 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 16,301,100 | 2,528,200 | 742,100 | 19,571,400 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
[b] - All values are rounded to the nearest £100.
[c] - Rent due refers to what could be collected if every farm paid (see ‘Glossary of terms’ section for a definition of ‘Rent from holdings - operational account’)
Table 4: Rent/hectare values for smallholdings farms, expressed in terms of the authority’s farm business sector, as at 31 March 2021 [a] [b] [c]
| Authority sector | Rent per hectare due for equipped farms (£/ha) | Rent per hectare due for bare land farms (£/ha) | Rent per hectare due for agricultural licenses (£/ha) | Total rent per hectare for land let as smallholdings (£/ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arable | 340 | 303 | 296 | 332 |
| Dairy | 342 | 186 | 218 | 325 |
| Dairy/Stock Rearing | 330 | 214 | 193 | 312 |
| Horticulture | x | x | x | x |
| Mixed/General | 217 | 277 | 426 | 235 |
| Stock Rearing | 316 | 145 | 928 | 167 |
| ALL TENANCIES | 321 | 278 | 240 | 310 |
[a] - For authorities that provided a business sector as well as complete rent and area data (that is, 27 out of 43 authorities). Durham (Mixed/General) and Surrey (Dairy/Stock Rearing) did not provide full rent data so were omitted.
[b] - No authorities stated themselves as primarily Horticulture so no data are available (indicated by ‘x’)
[c] - Only Oxfordshire classified itself as primarily Stock Rearing. Agriculture licences mainly comprise of small village centre paddocks utilised for horse or pony grazing and many have been obtained by best offer/tenders.
Table 5: Total area acquired and disposed of by smallholdings authorities between April 2020 and March 2021 [a] [b]
| Local authority | Acquired - Newly acquired (ha) | Disposed - Sold/exchanged (ha) | Acquired - Formerly leased (ha) | Disposed - Leased land (ha) | Total land acquired (ha) | Total land disposed (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buckinghamshire | 173 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 173 | 0 |
| Cambridgeshire | 96 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Cornwall | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| Dorset | 8 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 31 | 6 |
| Durham | 0 | 199 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 199 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Essex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Herefordshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lincolnshire | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Medway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Keynes | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Norfolk | 67 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 16 |
| North Lincolnshire | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Oxfordshire | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Shropshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Somerset | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| South Gloucestershire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Staffordshire | 0 | 223 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 223 |
| Suffolk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Surrey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swindon | 0 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 102 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wiltshire | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 358 | 645 | 23 | 0 | 381 | 645 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
[b] - Total areas, comprising freehold (the number of hectares let as council farms/rural estates and owned by the authority) and leasehold (the number of hectares let as council farms/rural estates but not owned by the authority) areas.
Table 6: Number of smallholding tenancies granted for the first time or terminated by smallholdings authorities between April 2020 and March 2021 [a] [b]
| Local authority | Number of tenancies in 2021 | Change since 2020 | Tenancies granted (n) | Tenancies ceased (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buckinghamshire | 48 | 2 | 20 | 18 |
| Cambridgeshire | 183 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 44 | -3 | 0 | 3 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 18 | -3 | 0 | 3 |
| Cornwall | 92 | -1 | 9 | 10 |
| Cumbria | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon | 74 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Dorset | 49 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Durham | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 86 | -2 | 7 | 9 |
| Essex | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Herefordshire | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 64 | -3 | 4 | 7 |
| Lincolnshire | 172 | -6 | 16 | 22 |
| Medway | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Keynes | 5 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| Norfolk | 108 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| North Lincolnshire | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Oxfordshire | 28 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Shropshire | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Somerset | 34 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| South Gloucestershire | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Staffordshire | 75 | -1 | 5 | 6 |
| Suffolk | 93 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Surrey | 44 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Swindon | 11 | -1 | 0 | 1 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Wiltshire | 38 | -4 | 1 | 5 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 1,416 | -19 | 100 | 119 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
[b] - Equipped and bare land farms only.
Table 7: Specific details of smallholding tenancies granted and ended by smallholdings authorities between April 2020 and March 2021 [a] [b] [c]
| Local authority | New tenants - equipped farms (n) | New tenants - bare land farms (n) | Internal promotion (n) | Transfer to other estates (n) | Leave estate for other opportunities (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buckinghamshire | 0 | 2 | x | x | x |
| Cambridgeshire | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cornwall | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Dorset | 1 | x | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Durham | x | x | x | x | x |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Essex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Herefordshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lincolnshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Medway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Keynes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Norfolk | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| North Lincolnshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shropshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Somerset | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Gloucestershire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Staffordshire | 3 | x | 2 | x | 4 |
| Suffolk | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Surrey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Swindon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 20 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
[b] - Equipped and bare land farms only.
[c] - ‘New tenants’ are lettings to first time entrants to the individual estate (that is, those who have not previously occupied a smallholdings authority farm)
Table 8: Breakdown of the number of smallholding tenancies held between April 2020 and March 2021 [a] [b]
| Local authority | Lifetime (n) | Retirement (n) | Farm Business Tenancies (n) | Secondary lettings (n) | Total lettings and tenancies (n) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedford | x | x | x | x | x |
| Brighton & Hove | 14 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 35 |
| Buckinghamshire | 16 | 3 | 35 | 3 | 57 |
| Cambridgeshire | 34 | 0 | 149 | 81 | 264 |
| Central Bedfordshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Cheshire East | 16 | 11 | 17 | 2 | 46 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 9 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 19 |
| Cornwall | 11 | 13 | 68 | 15 | 107 |
| Cumbria | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Devon | 10 | 5 | 59 | 29 | 103 |
| Dorset | 4 | 3 | 42 | 8 | 57 |
| Durham | x | x | x | x | x |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 21 | 14 | 51 | 24 | 110 |
| Essex | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Gloucestershire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hampshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hartlepool | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Herefordshire | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Hertfordshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Hillingdon | x | x | x | x | x |
| Leicestershire | 9 | 14 | 41 | 21 | 85 |
| Lincolnshire | 38 | 31 | 103 | 0 | 172 |
| Medway | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Milton Keynes | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Norfolk | 13 | 9 | 86 | 70 | 178 |
| North Lincolnshire | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| North Somerset | x | x | x | x | x |
| North Yorkshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| Nottinghamshire | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 23 |
| Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 28 |
| Shropshire | 6 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 18 |
| Somerset | 11 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 43 |
| South Gloucestershire | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
| Staffordshire | 7 | 7 | 61 | 14 | 89 |
| Suffolk | 26 | 14 | 53 | 34 | 127 |
| Surrey | 15 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 45 |
| Swindon | 1 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 17 |
| Warwickshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| West Berkshire | x | x | x | x | x |
| West Sussex | 5 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 29 |
| Wiltshire | 9 | 3 | 26 | 9 | 47 |
| Worcestershire | x | x | x | x | x |
| York | x | x | x | x | x |
| TOTAL | 285 | 152 | 970 | 330 | 1,737 |
[a] - Column totals (‘TOTAL’) are underestimations due to an absence of information (indicated by ‘x’).
[b] - Equipped and bare land farms only.
Table 9: Revenue account for land held by smallholdings authorities between April 2020 and March 2021 [a] [b]
Table 9a: Operational acount income
| Operational account - Income | £ |
|---|---|
| Rent from holdings | 19,325,400 |
| Other rents | 427,400 |
| Other income | 917,700 |
| TOTAL | 20,670,500 |
Table 9b: Operational acount expenditure
| Operational account - Expenditure | £ |
|---|---|
| Repairs and maintenance | 4,145,800 |
| Rents, rates, annuities and water charges | 713,800 |
| Net tenant rights valuations | 197,000 |
| Estate management | 2,116,400 |
| Other expenditure | 436,900 |
| TOTAL | 7,609,900 |
Table 9c: Non-operational acount income
| Non-operational account - Income | £ |
|---|---|
| Indirect income | -136,000 |
| TOTAL | -136,000 |
Table 9d: Non-operational acount expenditure
| Non-operational account - Expenditure | £ |
|---|---|
| Central support costs | 174,800 |
| Other expenditure | 392,800 |
| TOTAL | 567,600 |
Table 9e: Revenue account net surplus
| Revenue account net surplus | £ |
|---|---|
| Operational account surplus | 13,060,600 |
| Non-operational account deficit | -703,600 |
| NET SURPLUS | 12,357,000 |
[a] - For authorities that provided complete financial information (that is, 21 out of 43 authorities)
[b] - All values are rounded to the nearest £100.
Glossary of terms
Agricultural letting farms - Farms possessing, for example, grazing licences, contract farming agreements, 364 day licences / agricultural lettings for less than one year, etc.
Bare land farms - Farms comprising land only, including short term lets.
Equipped farms - Farms with a farmhouse, farm buildings or both.
Farm Business Tenancies - These tenancies comprise all principal lettings entered into under the provisions of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 and relating to the original term of the current letting.
Lifetime tenancies - These tenancies are for those lettings made prior to the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986.
New tenants - These tenancies are lettings to first time entrants to the individual estate, that is, those who have not previously occupied a local authority farm.
Number of smallholding lets - This is equal to number of equipped farm lets plus number of bare land farm lets plus number of agricultural lets.
Number of smallholding tenancies - These comprise equipped and bare land farms only. Joint tenancies are counted as a single entity. Where tenants occupy more than one farm they have only been counted once. Hence the total number of tenants may be less than the number of farms.
Rent due for land let as smallholdings (£) - Rent due refers to what would be expected to be collected if all farms/licenses are occupied and if every farm paid. This is equal to rent due for equipped farms plus rent due for bare land farms plus rent due for agricultural licence farms. Abatements, allowances, rent forgone and not collected are disregarded for these figures.
Retirement tenancies - These tenancies are for tenants that may be required to vacate holdings when they reach the age of 65 or prevailing retirement age, that is, lettings made under the provisions of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, but before the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995.
Secondary lettings - Secondary lettings describe additional land let as part of a Farm Business Tenancy to tenants of principal holdings, that is, equipped or bare land holdings and managed as an integral part of principal holding.
Total area acquired and disposed of by local authorities (hectares) - This is comprised of freehold (the number of hectares let as council farms/rural estates and owned by the authority) and leasehold (the number of hectares let as council farms/rural estates but not owned by the authority) areas.
Glossary of terms employed within the operational and non-operational accounts
Operational account
Income
Rent from holdings (£) - This is net rent from land being farmed, including grazing licenses, after deductions of allowances, abatements and rent not collected. Only farm rents are included, including secondary lettings.
Other rents (£) -This is rent from cottage tenancies, commercial lettings, staff housing, wasteland, woodland, telecom sites, wind turbines and rent received from non-Farm Business Tenancies.
Other income (£) - This includes royalties, wayleaves, easements, shooting and fishing rights, licences to extract gravel, insurance claims, sales of timber, trees, produce, materials, farm equipment and vehicles, etc., other fees and charges etc. This also includes single farm payments or environmental initiatives paid direct to the estate. This does not include contributions by tenants towards revenue improvements, repairs to equipment, rates, water charges etc.
Expenditure
Repairs and maintenance (£) - This includes revenue expenditure on repairs and maintenance of houses, buildings, drainage and ditching work. This is net of any amounts recovered from tenants but excludes grant-aided schemes of a capital nature. This also includes corporately funded property initiatives, for example asbestos, electrical tests and inspections, structural and tree surveys, as well as Legionnaires’ disease testing. This also includes the cost of associated manual labour forces, plants and materials.
Rents, rates, annuities and water charges (£) - This includes rents, rates, utility charges (for example, water, electricity), tithes and perpetual annuities, net of recovery of rates and water charges.
Net tenant right valuations (£) - This includes expenditure paid by the landlord to an outgoing tenant, less income received from an incoming tenant for tenant right valuations and dilapidations. This also includes any milk quota compensation payments charged to revenue. This excludes capital payments for equipment/buildings.
Estate management (£) - This includes professional (for example, surveyors), administrative and clerical support employee costs, office accommodation charges, including expenditure on repairs and maintenance, transport costs, other sundry expenses, etc. as well as any other ad-hoc specialist advice (for example, payments to consultants). Employee costs include salaries, national insurance, training, pension, removal and resettlement costs, conference expenses, etc. This also includes the net cost (for example, client/commissioning costs) of contracting out estate management functions.
Other expenditure (£) - This includes the cost of cleaning materials, fire and farm buildings insurance, furniture and fittings, equipment, tools and materials, transport and moveable plant, vehicles and vehicle running costs, etc.
Non-operational account
Indirect income (£) - This includes revenue grants, interest received and other non-operational income. This also includes publication sales, recovery of fees and charges, etc.
Central support costs (£) - This includes charges received from other departments within the estate not identified within the Estate Management section, for example, legal/secretariat, financial (including audit), valuation (excluding corporate disposals), personnel and IT service costs.
Other expenditure (£) - This includes subscriptions, external audit fees, stamp duty, external legal and professional fees, etc.