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Smallholding Authority
2010 let area (hectares)2010 let area (acres)2018 let area (hectares)2018 let area (acres)Change 2010-2018 (acres)
Reasons for omission?
NotesOnline maps?
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Herefordshire1,9014,695210519-4,177 Herefordshire placed 1700ha of its County Farms estate on market in 2017: https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/markets-and-trends/land-markets/county-council-farms-how-many-are-left
http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/documents/s50028752/Appendix%20D_Map%20showing%20locations%20of%20county%20farms%20estates.pdf
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Somerset2,5636,3311,3903,433-2,897Started selling off farms in 2010; had 62, now down to just 20. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-45685547. But see also Simon Fairlie's 2006 article here, about Somerset's earlier attempts to sell off its County Farms: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/feb/08/localgovernment.guardiansocietysupplement1
Yes, see s31.6 maps: data is from 2010, and measuring the area of the polygons = 7,533 acres: rather more than DEFRA's record of let area in 2010?
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North Yorkshire2,0555,0761,5233,764-1,312
Data not reported by DEFRA but obtained by contacting council directly.
Data obtained by contacting North Yorks Council directly, as not reported by DEFRA in their 2018 report. Simon Fairlie's 2006 piece stated that North Yorks had already sold off half its original estate by then and planned to sell off the rest: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/feb/08/localgovernment.guardiansocietysupplement1. The last DEFRA data available for North Yorks is from 2015 and shows they still retained 1593.65 hectares (3938 acres) at that date.No
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Cheshire West and Chester
1,6674,1171,1702,890-1,228News report from 2011 states Cheshire West Council plans to sell off ALL of its 4,575-acre County Farms estate (comprising 47 farms) over 'the next three decades': https://www.cheshire-live.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/controversial-sale-31m-worth-council-owned-5184626
https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/location%20of%20cheshire%20west%20and%20chester%20map%20locations5.pdf
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Lincolnshire8,07619,9487,60018,772-1,176No
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Gloucestershire3,4358,4843,0407,509-976See e.g. https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/gloucestershire-county-council-news/news-april-2016/council-continues-its-commitment-to-farming-in-the-county/No
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Devon4,0479,9963,6609,040-956Yes, a couple shown in s31.6 maps.
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East Riding of Yorkshire2,8387,0102,4606,076-934No
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Suffolk5,31213,1214,96012,251-869
Yes, though only points: https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/open-data-suffolk/council-data-and-transparency/local-authority-land-and-property/
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North Lincolnshire4221,04270173-869No
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Worcestershire1,4943,6901,1602,865-825Yes, see s31.6 maps.
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Northamptonshire30074100-741None listedSimon Fairlie in this 2006 piece says Northamptonshire, like various other councils, sold off their estates in the 1990s: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2006/feb/08/localgovernment.guardiansocietysupplement1No
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Dorset2,7436,7752,4706,101-674
Yes, select layer 'Dorset Council property & land' on this map, shows polygons as well as points: https://explorer.geowessex.com/?layers=7825&basemap=27&x=378008.83&y=99630.73&epsg=27700&zoom=9
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Northumberland23056800-568None listedClearly once had a larger estate but disposed of most of it at an earlier date; see maps.
http://map.northumberland.gov.uk/landOwnership/
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Nottinghamshire7441,8385411,337-500
DEFRA list no data, but contacted Notts Council and they supplied this figure.
DEFRA list no data, but contacted Notts Council and they supplied this figure. Previous data from 2016 was 570 hectares (1,408 acres). This 2015 review paper recommended selling off five farms, but retaining twenty: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/DMS/Document.ashx?czJKcaeAi5tUFL1DTL2UE4zNRBcoShgo=%2F3F%2BNK0V0Qf0NOu2pZ9Z3Jrum0n9OQlnIUbc3XU7vopIMvpMI4kSfA%3D%3D&rUzwRPf%2BZ3zd4E7Ikn8Lyw%3D%3D=pwRE6AGJFLDNlh225F5QMaQWCtPHwdhUfCZ%2FLUQzgA2uL5jNRG4jdQ%3D%3D&mCTIbCubSFfXsDGW9IXnlg%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&kCx1AnS9%2FpWZQ40DXFvdEw%3D%3D=hFflUdN3100%3D&uJovDxwdjMPoYv%2BAJvYtyA%3D%3D=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&FgPlIEJYlotS%2BYGoBi5olA%3D%3D=NHdURQburHA%3D&d9Qjj0ag1Pd993jsyOJqFvmyB7X0CSQK=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNR9xqBux0r1Q8Za60lavYmz=ctNJFf55vVA%3D&WGewmoAfeNQ16B2MHuCpMRKZMwaG1PaO=ctNJFf55vVA%3D. See also this 2018 news article about Notts Council's council-owned Care Farm: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/local-news/plan-invest-350000-council-owned-1171381. George Dunn TFA says they only have 200-300ha of farms left.No
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Thurrock20249900-499None listedNo
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Leicestershire2,9087,1832,7306,743-440
Yes, though not a good one: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/business-and-consumers/supporting-businesses/property-to-let-or-for-sale#map
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Staffordshire3,4808,5963,3408,250-346No
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North Somerset329813190469-343
Yes: http://map.n-somerset.gov.uk/councillandandbuildings.html
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Wiltshire2,1925,4142,0605,088-326No
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Cumbria289714170420-294Contacted council who state that, although they still lease this land, none of it now comprises County Farms.No
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South Gloucestershire4901,210380939-272No
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Shropshire6281,5515201,284-267
Yes; https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/assets-and-estates/interactive-land-and-property-map/
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Milton Keynes313773220543-230
Yes, select layer 'Land ownership' https://mapping.milton-keynes.gov.uk/mymiltonkeynes.aspx
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Bournemouth8621200-212
None listed, no entry 2018
No
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Durham5731,4154931,217-198
Data not reported by DEFRA but obtained by contacting council directly.
Data not reported by DEFRA but obtained by contacting council directly.
No
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Cornwall4,32810,6904,25010,498-193No
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Surrey8672,1418001,976-165No
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Cheshire East1,9764,8811,9204,742-138
https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/pdf/cheshire%20east%20council%20map%20locations3.pdf
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East Sussex4310600-106
None listed, no entry 2018
No
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Lancashire368900-89None listedMost of the estate went in the 1980s; see http://www.tfa.org.uk/speech-by-george-dunn-tfa-chief-executive-for-landworkers-alliance-protest-public-land-for-public-good-17-april-2016/See s31.6 maps?
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Torbay256200-62None listedNo
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Oxfordshire361892351867-25Most of the estate went in the 1980s; see http://www.tfa.org.uk/speech-by-george-dunn-tfa-chief-executive-for-landworkers-alliance-protest-public-land-for-public-good-17-april-2016/No
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Swindon6801,6806701,655-25No
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Hartlepool8821780198-20
Yes, a PDF map: https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/671/assets_location_map.pdf
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Medway5613850124-15No
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Slough3700-7None listedNo
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Peterborough1,2193,0111,2173,006-5
None listed but correspondence with council reveals that do still own & let out 3,000 acres.
DEFRA 2018 report blank, but correspondence with Peterborough Council's Rural Estates Manager reveals they still own and let out 3,000 acres. The last DEFRA data entry for Peterborough was 2013, at which point it had 1,217 hectares (3,007 acres) let for smallholdings. This council strategy from 2014 suggests a commitment to retaining the estate, but can't find anything more recent: https://democracy.peterborough.gov.uk/documents/s24424/6.%20Appendix%201%20-%20Strategy%20for%20the%20Management%20of%20the%20Farms%20Estate.pdf. No
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Warrington2500-5None listedNo
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Warwickshire2,0004,9402,0004,9400
Yes, though points only, not polygons: http://maps.warwickshire.gov.uk/INSPIRE/
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York, City of 58143601485
Theoretically here, but doesn't seem to display: https://cyc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6e02c41a806e46879e7dc215f1275afb
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West Berkshire1172891202967 Most of the estate went in the 1980s; see http://www.tfa.org.uk/speech-by-george-dunn-tfa-chief-executive-for-landworkers-alliance-protest-public-land-for-public-good-17-april-2016/See s31.6 maps.
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Hertfordshire1,9344,7771,9404,79215No
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Essex731808019817
Yes: http://epam.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=0c03df550d4c4fca8ff9215a67e09cbf
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Bedfordshire Central2,2105,4592,2405,53374No
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Brighton & Hove4,0439,9864,08010,07891KML files downloadable from https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/council-finance-and-data
https://bhcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=81afe7d6c1ab4d7d8d8b2f621b81541d
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Bedford187462230568106Contacted the council to check, they do still own some County Farms.
http://bedford-borough.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=874e8da21b074a29b9d2d8fcf6b9c491
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West Sussex213526350865338
No, though may be downloadable here (Miso portal): https://data.gov.uk/dataset/22d3b497-6174-4ae5-9c28-290f8161031a/west-sussex-land-and-property-ownership
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Hampshire1,7074,2161,8864,660444DEFRA recorded figures incorrectly, stating 4,660 hectares when this was actually the acreage; correspondence with Hampshire Council Rural Estates Team lead confirmed this. (For comparison, this FOI'd list of Hampshire's County Farms from 2015 gives a total of 1,372.5 hectares: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/289472/response/707143/attach/4/FOI%209670%20Wright%20List%202015%2009%2015%20HF000010123039.pdf?cookie_passthrough=1). Back in 2010, Hampshire Council said it would introduce fixed-term tenancies on its County Farms: https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/mainstories/7991612.winchester-tenant-farmers-fears-over-council-plans/No
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Norfolk6,37915,7566,59016,277521GIS map of Norfolk's County Farms published on data.gov.uk.
https://data.gov.uk/dataset/28302f3c-ff79-47b5-a431-c0f1812165c2/norfolk-county-farms-estate
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Buckinghamshire1,2423,0681,4603,606538See maps; clearly once had a larger estate but disposed of most of it at an earlier date?
https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/council-and-democracy/land-and-property-owned-or-leased-by-the-council/
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HillingdonNone listed06901,7041,704Increase; but possible that Hillingdon was not counted as a Smallholdings Authority in 2010.
No, but perhaps see London Land Commission map? https://maps.london.gov.uk/LLC/
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Cambridgeshire11,80029,14613,19032,5793,433Increased in size, though note that in 2010 owned 13,561 hectares, just didn't let all this out as smallholdings.https://my.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/?tab=maps
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TOTALS90,964224,68184,611208,994-15,687
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Sources: DEFRA Smallholdings Reports for 2010, 2017 & 2018
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NB 2010 total estate area is stated to be 96,455 hectares (238,345 acres), but only 90,967 hectares of this was let out as smallholdings.
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NB 2018 total estate area is stated to be 89,020 hectares (219,973 acres), but only 83,600 hectares of this was let out as smallholdings. However, further correspondence with councils has clarified the figure.
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