THE trebling of the waiting list for allotments in Brent gives the opportunity for the council to take bold and imaginative action.

As a first step they could set aside a suitable proportion of land in local parks for vegetable and fruit growing.

This was done during the war and is being done in the gardens of some Royal Parks, Buckingham Palace and the White House. The student plots at Kew Gardens are an excellent example of how this can be done in an attractive and non-intrusive way.

As is often the case children are ahead of adults in thinking about these issues. When they were consulted about the council's playground improvement programme local children suggested demonstration vegetable plots in local parks so that they and their parents could learn about growing their own food.

Another policy that is being followed by some local authorities is to use land which is awaiting development for short-term community gardens. Local schools can also get involved by using some of their grounds for children and their parents to grow their own vegetables.

Havana, in Cuba, is an excellent example of a city that grows its own fruit and vegetables in every spare nook and cranny that it can find. If we did the same we would be amazed by how much fresh, healthy, food we can produce for ourselves.

MARTIN FRANCIS Green Party candidate for Brent North (and allotment holder)