RPA doubles helpline staff to take your calls
By Isabel Davies
THE RURAL Payments Agency has doubled the number of people manning its single farm payment helpline in response to farmer complaints that the system is a shambles.
RPA chief executive Johnston McNeill made the announcement at NFU Council on Tues (Apr 12) after he was quizzed about what is being done to solve ongoing SFP application problems.
Farmers at the meeting pointed out producers are not only struggling to get through to the single farm payment helpline; they are also worried about the quality of the advice that they are being given.
They also raised problems about delays and inaccuracies in the processing of maps for the Rural Land Register. Mr McNeill admitted that demand for changes to maps had been “much higher” than anticipated.
He also acknowledged that many farmers had experienced huge difficulties in getting through to a customer service adviser. But he claimed that the agency was “on top of it now” as extra staff had been drafted in.
Operations director Ian Hewett said calls had increased from 750 a day when the centre opened on Apr 14 to more than 4000 a day, which was why getting through was an issue.
To improve the situation the agency had increased the number of operators to 180 and it had also extended opening hours by two hours (7.30am to 6pm Mon to Fri).
Staff were also calling back farmers with answers to queries over weekends and evenings.
NFU president Tim Bennett said: “The RPA”s commitment of extra resources for the call centre provides some comfort but previous mismanagement has seriously damaged farmers” confidence in the system. That will take time to rebuild.
“We need assurances that farmers will not be penalised because the RPA isn”t organised. Where farmers have made genuine errors as a result of poor advice or inaccuracies on the part of the agency, they should be able to correct those errors after the May 16 deadline without penalty.”
Mark Hudson, president of the Country Land and Business Association, said until this week the system had been an utter shambles, but he hoped this was a turning point.
“I hope today will be a watershed, but unless this expansion has been properly planned then I fear the people on the end of the phone won”t be properly trained.”