Yesterday Mark Grimshaw,CEO RPA announced that they will be making 50% bridging payments to commoners and others who haven’t received a BPS15 payment yet – see https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rpa-to-fast-track-bridging-payments .
The 50% will be paid at the end of April with the balance paid by the end of June. Claimants will receive a letter with the payment, so they are clear that it is the bridging payment and not the full payment. Technically speaking this payment is a loan to farmers from the Exchequer and will be netted off the 2nd BPS 2015 payment.
We have found out that RPA haven’t finalized the workings of the methodology to pay the 50% yet, and will be consulting with us on this.
We welcome this news, but deplore the fact that some commoners have had to face unnecessary severe financial hardship. We asked RPA to consider making interim payments months ago, but at the time they did not think they would be needed. Unfortunately they were proven wrong.
