Review of 2021 BPS and CS claims

When the BPS and CS claims window opens in March each year, it always seems like the May deadline is a long way off, but here we are in June already with the claims for this year done and dusted! Here’s our review of how the claims submission period went for our BPS and CS team this year. 

Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) Applications: 

Greening Requirements: 

• The removal of greening requirements on both the English and Welsh forms made things a little easier for both us and the claimant this year.  
• The online applications for England still showed EFA options in the land use section, however on Wales’ BPS forms it was all automatically removed. 
• On English claims the crop summary had been removed, we assume following the abolishment of greening, however the feedback from our clients was that this was generally a useful tool to check cropping totals. 

Cross-checking against Stewardship agreements: 

Although life was made easier with the removal of greening requirements, it wasn’t all plain sailing! All BPS applications we complete are cross-checked against any stewardship agreements the client holds, so that we can pick out any problems with land use incompatibility or option breaches and notify the client before the RPA (Rural Payments Agency) does. This year seemed to be particularly more difficult, perhaps due to the number of people re-entering schemes, and the lack of guidance provided by DEFRA.  

• RPW (Rural Payments Wales) provides guidance on compatible land use codes for BPS and Glastir, however the RPA only provides minimal guidance for this with CSS and HLS/ELS agreements. 

RLE1 Forms and mapping: 

• For applications for land in England, you are able to email in RLE1 forms which is helpful and economic, however continuation books still need to be sent in the post, which seems a bit odd.  
• For applications for land in Wales, the ‘Manage My Land’ section is the RLE1 equivalent which is all electronic and is instantly received by RPW.  
• The English RPA accounts hold the option on the mapping tool to view previous years (as far back as 2015) to show where any adjustments to land covers, areas and boundaries have been made. This can be very useful considering the number of unwarranted changes the RPA seem to make! 

Our BPS team completed a total of 251 claims for the 2021 scheme year and would like to thank all of our clients who used this service. We look forward to working with you again next year! 

Countryside Stewardship (CS) and HLS/ELS Revenue Claims: 

As with BPS, the claims window for annual revenue claims for both Countryside Stewardship and Higher and Entry Level Stewardship (HLS and ELS), ran from 18th March to 17th May 2021. 

 Paper or Online: 

• HLS and ELS claim forms are still paper forms, however most are sent through to the registered email address/ registered agent on the RPA account, and can be scanned and returned via email too, making the process quicker and safer.  
• CS claims are quickest and easiest to complete online, however if any transfers of agreements have taken place, or an amendment has been requested, then a paper form could be requested. 

Agent Authorisation: 

This one created a couple of problems due to unclear guidance and no formal notification of changes to the process. 

• Agents have had to be given authorisation to act on behalf of a client for their HLS/ELS agreements using a paper form for some time, however if using this method, the agent now has to be given permission on the client’s Rural Payments Agency (RPA) account too. 
• Authorisation forms will only be accepted by the RPA if they have been sent in from an email address registered on the client’s RPA account. 
• You can skip out sending the form in if the agent is given ‘Full’ permissions for the business on the client’s RPA account. 

Rotational Options: 

• For CS this year, the summary forms were not showing all details input for rotational options locations. The RPA later sent out notifications to state that despite this, all information submitted in this section will still be received, and this function on the summary forms will be available from July 20th 2021. We took screenshots of this section for our records. 
• All rotational option locations can be confirmed for CS and HLS/ELS by 1st September with no penalty, but the rest of the claim must have been submitted by 17th May.  
• For CS claims completed online, a separate claim window will appear for completion by 1st September, if rotational options were not confirmed on the main claim form.  
• For HLS/ELS, this information needs to be emailed in from an email address registered on the RPA account.    

Cross-checking against BPS applications: 

As with BPS applications, CS and HLS/ELS claims need to be cross-checked against the most recent BPS application, to ensure that the land use codes and areas used for BPS are compatible with the stewardship options. 

• For us, having clients who use both our CS and BPS services makes this process quicker and easier, and ensures the client is well informed of any potential problems in this area. 
• We have found that the RPA seem to be cross-checking both schemes (BPS, CS & HLS/ELS) a lot more thoroughly in the past 12 months. 
• As mentioned above, guidance for BPS compatible land use codes for HLS/ELS is not readily available for the public. 

Hedgerows: 

Hedgerows used to claim options such as BE3 in CS agreements, still need to be correctly mapped on the RPA’s land & mapping section. 

• If changes need to be made, an RLE1 form and map needs to be submitted using the code ‘B’ for boundary on the RLE1 form.  

The deadline for submitting CS revenue claims has now passed, but applications for new CS agreements are being received by the RPA up until 30th July 2021. Don’t forget to download your application pack via your RPA online account, by 30th June 2021.   

CXCS has a dedicated team who complete BPS applications for claimants in both England and Wales, including cross-border claims. For a no obligation quote to complete your BPS claim for 2022, please give us a call on 01981590514.