The relationship between tenant farmers and the Cornwall Council estate has become ‘strained', with the Tenant Ãļ§Ö±²¥ Association (TFA) receiving a ‘significant number of complaints' from farmers.
Tenant farmers
The TFA has put forward a number of complaints to the council's senior management team. These included consistent lack of expenditure on repairs, an ‘unhealthy and unrealistic' focus on rent levels, the short-term nature of tenancy agreement notices to quit being served, and ‘too many instances of tenants not having written tenancy agreements'.
Robert Martin, TFA chair, said he believed about half of the tenants on the estate were facing some sort of issue, many of which were TFA members, adding a ‘lack of communication' was at the core of poor relationships.
Communication
"When you look at any good working relationship on any good estate, it needs give and take on both sides.
"But the tenants can only work with what they are given. "If the tenants are communicating with the estate] with their concerns and they are not getting a satisfactory reply or getting no reply at all, then you can see why tensions become frayed."
Mr Martin said the appointment of a Tenant Farming Commissioner (TFC) to ‘act on behalf of tenants' was needed ‘as soon as possible', adding it was not just the Cornwall Council estate where there were concerns – it was happening in many estates ‘across the country'.
Farm Tenancy Forum
Prior to the General Election, the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said a TFC would be appointed ‘by the autumn'. But the new Labour Government was yet to give an update to the sector, despite being ‘positive' about the role in opposition. Mr Martin said it would be high on the agenda at the Farm Tenancy Forum meeting, which the Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner attended earlier this week.
When asked whether the looming autumn budget was contributing to the ‘hold up' in landlord communication with tenants, Mr Martin agreed it had played its part. "No-one can make a decision without proper clarity. Everything at the moment is put on hold. It is not easy," he said.
Cornwall Council estate
A spokesperson for the Cornwall Council estate said the council recognised the role tenant farmers fulfilled in delivering its objectives.
"We do not recognise some of the issues that have been raised but have asked for greater clarity so any matters can be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible," said the spokesperson.
They highlighted commitments in 2019 to invest £16 million into the estate as part of its refreshed strategy, with £9m spent to date, and more works to come.
"The focus has been on improving homes by the installation of improved insulation and heating systems as part of our climate ambitions, and [we] have also made investments into farm infrastructure to assist in farming operations," they said.
