2016 BPS Payments on their Way to Commoners

[llamedos]

The Foundation for Common Land is pleased to report that the Rural Payments Agency has agreed to make BPS payments to as many commoners as possible by the end of 2016. These will occur even if there are unresolved issues with their 2015 payments. This has been authorised by Defra Ministers.

Over the last eight weeks the Foundation for Common Land together with the NFU and the CAAV have been meeting regularly with senior RPA staff to highlight and work through the substantial number of issues that have affected payments on common land. Many of these are now being addressed and we will continue to meet over the Christmas New Year period to assess progress.

In the meantime Defra has made the decision that the fact that a farmer has unresolved issues on their common should not delay their 2016 BPS payment. Once any outstanding common land issues from 2015 have been resolved any top ups required can be made. It is excellent news that commoners and hence the management of common land will not be disadvantaged compared with other land. Common Land provides multiple public goods on many of our most iconic places but is dependent on active management by commoners to maintain these benefits.
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I have been asked to post a poll along with this release, to make sure people are being paid.

Also, if anyone is having any major issues with their commons payment, if they could highlight it in a post here, it will be passed on to the correct people.

Thanks.

 

[Old Tip]

So despite the promise to pay out at least some commoners on the 22nd it looks like nobody got their money. Next payment is due on the 30th so let's hope it's all paid out then.

OT

 

[Y Fan Wen]

Is this restricted to England? I am secretary of my commoners association and no one has told me of any difficulties. Yes, I did get paid on the 1st,

 

[Old Tip]

Is this restricted to England? I am secretary of my commoners association and no one has told me of any difficulties. Yes, I did get paid on the 1st,

Yes it is, no connects got paid till April last time and many are still owed money so we were promised we would be first in the queue this time but nobody had got paid to date

 

[Old Tip]

My money came in today which is a relief and i hope more of you will also get yours as you should, its less than i expected so am assuming they haven't paid out on the fell rights but we will see. Be interested to see if other folk have the same sort of feeling re their payments i.e happy to have some money in the bank but a bit less than expected.

OT

 

[Socksitis]

Yep, in here too

 

[Andy]

I act for many farmers with common land, many have called me over the past week having been paid but all payments at present look to be on their main farm excluding any common land. This part payment is useful but many farmers still have not been paid correctly (or at all) for 2015 BPS common land.

 

[Socksitis]

I had a query over the number of entitlements (relating to common land area allocation) not matching the actual area of common land allocated to us this year (insufficient entitlements). But as we all know the BPS is submitted in the May and the common land area allocation is calculated in November (or used to be), so we will never be able to guess the area allocation.
I have been told that this shortfall will be corrected (after Michinghampton) and we will have our entitlements for the common land rectified accordingly and a payment - in 2017.

As clued up as I am on common land, this piece of knowledge about how the Michinghampton case would affect us, I could not see until now. Let's wait and see if it materialises.

As you say Andy, what we had in 2015 involved a stretch of the imagination, many will not have submitted a query to RPA as there is no accurate method of calculating precisely what we should have received. Bring back the SPS statements with the field parcels listed and the areas, so we can check what we have been paid for.

 

[bankrupt]

(insufficient entitlements)

This surely applies, Socksitis, to every current BPS-claiming commoner where the application of the Minchinghampton rules to their common has thrown up one or more non-BPS-claiming commoners?

 

[bankrupt]

Unfortunately for us all, Old Tip, this one will run and run, particularly on the commons.



https://www.fginsight.com/news/bps-...ousands-still-waiting-for-2015-payments-18061

 

[Old Tip]

Your right @bankrupt, while they keep insisting they wont tell us what we can claim on how do we know how many entitlements we need or how much they actually owe us and its all because some twerp on a small common in middle england decided they owed him some money. Anyway look on the bright side because we've been at their throats since last years debacle at least most of us have got some money this year and thats got to be a step forward

 

[bankrupt]

at least most of us have got some money this year and thats got to be a step forward

Quite so, Old Tip.

In general, this year's BPS timing is much improved.

However, HLS payments here are even later than they were last year, and that benevolent "twerp on a small common" has yet to come good.

 

[Old Tip]

Yeah, good old RPA give a bit here take a bit back there, our HLS was three months late but i know a lot that have been waiting six months

Hope it gets sorted soon, as to the other case i shake my head

 

[bankrupt]

i shake my head

Mine, too, Old Tip.

Very latest from the NFU:-

"allocation of retrospective payments and entitlements as a result of the Minchinhampton and Rodborough legal case has taken a back seat understandably, but we are still lobbying"

http://www.nfuonline.com/news/latest-news/bps-blog-progress-with-commons-issues/

 

[bankrupt]

Only amount currently owed to us here was the "Minchinhampton" retrospective.

This morning we received payment advice from the RPA in the sum of 1.20 GBP.

Anyone else been paid yet?

 

[Old Tip]

Only amount currently owed to us here was the "Minchinhampton" retrospective.

This morning we received payment advice from the RPA in the sum of 1.20 GBP.

Anyone else been paid yet?

£23.92 for FMD 2015 (what ever that means) and £160.58 BPS 2015 for me @bankrupt any clues what these are for @Guy Smith, guessing the second amount is what i was owed on the common grazing but no idea what the other is for.

OT

 

[bankrupt]

£23.92 for FMD 2015 (what ever that means)

Guess that's your refund on the 2015 Financial Discipline Mechanism, which we had a while ago.

As to the Commons refund , I was hoping for slightly more than 1.20 GBP.

 

[Guy Smith]

£23.92 for FMD 2015 (what ever that means) and £160.58 BPS 2015 for me @bankrupt any clues what these are for @Guy Smith, guessing the second amount is what i was owed on the common grazing but no idea what the other is for.

OT

Sorry to delay reply, not been logging into TFF lately.

Presumably you mean FDM - Financial Discipline Mechanism.

Bed time reading? - https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...for-2015/how-bps-2015-payments-are-calculated

 

[bankrupt]

Just got my 2015 BPS Statement.

Turns out the extra 1.20 GBP was a rounding error from last July and nothing whatever to do either with the Commons or with Minchinghampton.

 

[Old Tip]

Just got my 2015 BPS Statement.

Turns out the extra 1.20 GBP was a rounding error from last July and nothing whatever to do either with the Commons or with Minchinghampton.

Bet you enjoyed that bag of crisps you bought with the surprise cheque