Payment timings for Mid/Higher Tier

[Wooly]

My payment saga continues, and I still wait for the 2016 payment and the first 2017 payment !

This was the email I received in 2016 about our payment :

When will I get my ES and CS payments this year?
Advance ES and CS payments will be made between October and December, with the first ES advance payments starting to be made from early October and CS payments from mid-October. Final ES and CS payments will be made between January – June 2017 (as we did with 2016 payments) but we would work to complete payments by the spring.

No payment arrived due to a computer error on the Natural England system. They rang in September to apologies for their failings and promised we would be paid by the end of October at the very very latest, but weren't paid.

Having chased it up we got another email at the beginning of November to say the RPA system had failed. The email included the following:

As the claims are now processed through the RPA system this is not an easy fix for TS (Technical services) to make. However they have assured me that if a fix is not in place by the 20th November then TS will be arranging manual payments or bridging payments if agreed.


So in a nutshell, trying to budget for the payment is futile. I am not the only one in this situation and it appears the NFU are aware of it...........although it doesn't appear high on their agenda.

If only we could contra the payment the RPA owes us, against the tax we owe the Inland Revenue !

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

My payment saga continues, and I still wait for the 2016 payment and the first 2017 payment !

This was the email I received in 2016 about our payment :

When will I get my ES and CS payments this year?
Advance ES and CS payments will be made between October and December, with the first ES advance payments starting to be made from early October and CS payments from mid-October. Final ES and CS payments will be made between January – June 2017 (as we did with 2016 payments) but we would work to complete payments by the spring.

No payment arrived due to a computer error on the Natural England system. They rang in September to apologies for their failings and promised we would be paid by the end of October at the very very latest, but weren't paid.

Having chased it up we got another email at the beginning of November to say the RPA system had failed. The email included the following:

As the claims are now processed through the RPA system this is not an easy fix for TS (Technical services) to make. However they have assured me that if a fix is not in place by the 20th November then TS will be arranging manual payments or bridging payments if agreed.


So in a nutshell, trying to budget for the payment is futile. I am not the only one in this situation and it appears the NFU are aware of it...........although it doesn't appear high on their agenda.

If only we could contra the payment the RPA owes us, against the tax we owe the Inland Revenue !

Sadly @Wooly
You are not alone. We are in exactly the same position after starting a mid tier agreement nearly two years ago we are yet to receive a penny. The latest is that we should receive our first half payment for the 2016 year by the end of this month. We have capital works to do, which due to lack of cash flow because of this, and lack of confidence that we would get paid by them until they sort our annual payments out, we are yet to start. I have asked whether we could roll capital works to year three because of all this but have been told that this is not possible and must be done by the end of this year.
It is a total shambles. Why they are still trying to entice farms into the scheme when they can't pay the few they have on time, I have no idea. I wish that we never applied, but now nearly two years in we cannot really afford to throw in the towel on it, due to the money we have spent establishing options.

 

[Wooly]

Finally decided to do something about my non payment and got an immediate response..........although I have still not been paid, it is promised to be BACS into my account within the next ten days!

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england/about/complaints-procedure

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Well done, I hope it turns up, our 2016 "advanced" payment has not turned up today as promised. I think we may have to try an official complaint, via the link you have posted.

 

[Wooly]

Well done, I hope it turns up, our 2016 "advanced" payment has not turned up today as promised. I think we may have to try an official complaint, via the link you have posted.

The more people that use the link, the more the 'powers that be' will realise there are problems.

I was thanked for bringing the non payment to their attention....... Don't normally get thanked for complaining !

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

Let's hope it works.

 

[bobk]

Maybe @Guy Smith could investigate , I finished my agreement and had absolutely no intention of renewing NE aren't fit for purpose .

 

[yellow belly]

The more people that use the link, the more the 'powers that be' will realise there are problems.

I was thanked for bringing the non payment to their attention....... Don't normally get thanked for complaining !

Currently have an application in to start on 1 jan2018
Did you just follow the complaints procedure if so how long after payment was due ?
Do we need to complain as soon as payment is due to get the ball rolling ?

 

[Wooly]

Maybe @Guy Smith could investigate , I finished my agreement and had absolutely no intention of renewing NE aren't fit for purpose .

I have tagged Guy in this several times.........don't know if he doesn't want to respond, or the NFU are doing alot behind the scenes that we are unaware of. I do feel that it probably is neither!

Currently have an application in to start on 1 jan2018
Did you just follow the complaints procedure if so how long after payment was due ?
Do we need to complain as soon as payment is due to get the ball rolling ?

I was advised to go down the official complaint route by a NE adviser. They felt the system and non payment was a complete shambles.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

I have tagged Guy in this several times.........don't know if he doesn't want to respond, or the NFU are doing alot behind the scenes that we are unaware of. I do feel that it probably is neither!



I was advised to go down the official complaint route by a NE adviser. They felt the system and non payment was a complete shambles.

Have seen nothing at all about this in the press so I doubt the NFU are doing anything about it similar to the mapping issues and late payment of bps (right at the end of the payment window for us last year), and I expect the same this year. The cash flow issues on farm are quite serious especially those of us with FBT rents to pay. All they seem to be bothered about is Brexit, which, as far as I can see the farming unions have little influence if any over.

 

[bankrupt]

The cash flow issues on farm are quite serious

Can't really expect the NFU hierarchy to understand much about that in real time, Mixedupfarmer.

However, in due course the banksters will no doubt panic yet again and eventually let them know exactly what's bin going on.

 

[Guy Smith]

My payment saga continues, and I still wait for the 2016 payment and the first 2017 payment !

This was the email I received in 2016 about our payment :

When will I get my ES and CS payments this year?
Advance ES and CS payments will be made between October and December, with the first ES advance payments starting to be made from early October and CS payments from mid-October. Final ES and CS payments will be made between January – June 2017 (as we did with 2016 payments) but we would work to complete payments by the spring.

No payment arrived due to a computer error on the Natural England system. They rang in September to apologies for their failings and promised we would be paid by the end of October at the very very latest, but weren't paid.

Having chased it up we got another email at the beginning of November to say the RPA system had failed. The email included the following:

As the claims are now processed through the RPA system this is not an easy fix for TS (Technical services) to make. However they have assured me that if a fix is not in place by the 20th November then TS will be arranging manual payments or bridging payments if agreed.


So in a nutshell, trying to budget for the payment is futile. I am not the only one in this situation and it appears the NFU are aware of it...........although it doesn't appear high on their agenda.

If only we could contra the payment the RPA owes us, against the tax we owe the Inland Revenue !

Not sure where the idea we don't have this high up on our agenda comes from. We've been banging on about poor delivery of CS for sometime now including delays in payments.
Without giving too much away I can assure you we gave this a good airing at the highest level yesterday.
I'm assured NE and the RPA are being given additional resources in order to try to improve things.

 

[Old Tip]

Not sure where the idea we don't have this high up on our agenda comes from. We've been banging on about poor delivery of CS for sometime now including delays in payments.
Without giving too much away I can assure you we gave this a good airing at the highest level yesterday.
I'm assured NE and the RPA are being given additional resources in order to try to improve things.

Still waiting for my HLS payment which was due in October to arrive, last time I rang I got a snotty sort who said they had till the end of December to pay me so I should be thankful I had been paid on time in the past

 

[Old Tip]

Update this morning

Got an email asking if I had been sticking to my grazing calendar on one block of land. Answered said question and been told I will now be paid in the next ten days. Only two months late but let’s hope the promise is upheld, now the long wait for the BSP

 

[Wooly]

Update this morning

Got an email asking if I had been sticking to my grazing calendar on one block of land. Answered said question and been told I will now be paid in the next ten days. Only two months late but let’s hope the promise is upheld, now the long wait for the BSP

I have been told in the next ten days since October.............maybe it's the next ten working days and it takes 2 months for NE to actually work ten days !!

They did ring this morning...............not to pay me but wanting an inspection tomorrow ! I bet they try and find something wrong as I feel it is payback for complaining.

That will be the third RPA inspection this year and so far passed with flying colours, but already feel that they are after blood tomorrow!

 

[Old Tip]

I had to laugh when she said it was for my mid year payment, thinking they must have a different calendar to the rest of us.
As to NE, it seems it’s RPA that’s doing it now not NE, never had any bother at all till that shower took over.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

I have been told in the next ten days since October.............maybe it's the next ten working days and it takes 2 months for NE to actually work ten days !!

They did ring this morning...............not to pay me but wanting an inspection tomorrow ! I bet they try and find something wrong as I feel it is payback for complaining.

That will be the third RPA inspection this year and so far passed with flying colours, but already feel that they are after blood tomorrow!

Are they checking stewardship or bps or both?

 

[Farmer T]

I have been told in the next ten days since October.............maybe it's the next ten working days and it takes 2 months for NE to actually work ten days !!

They did ring this morning...............not to pay me but wanting an inspection tomorrow ! I bet they try and find something wrong as I feel it is payback for complaining.

That will be the third RPA inspection this year and so far passed with flying colours, but already feel that they are after blood tomorrow!

Almost exactly the same story here. Been asking where my payment is for the last 3 months without getting anywhere apart being past around- and boom- right before the payment window opens we get an inspection.

Carried out by the RPA into our CSS but also looking at cross compliance. No payment for either CSS or BPS until the report is finished and filed.

 

[Wooly]

Are they checking stewardship or bps or both?

C.S.S.

 

[Mixedupfarmer]

C.S.S.

seems very unfair if they haven't paid for 2016 yet. Perhaps the extra resources Guy Smith was talking about are being used for inspections? xmas parties? Clearly not making payments