Tim Farron meets with DWP minister over Universal Credit support for farmers

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron recently met with Minister of State for Social Security, Sir Stephen Timms, calling for reform to Universal Credit so that struggling farmers in Cumbria receive support.

Universal Credit is calculated based on monthly income and expenses. However, this does not account for the fact that farmers’ incomes can fluctuate widely depending on the season.

To make matters worse, for self-employed people wanting to claim Universal Credit there is a ‘Minimum Income Floor’ which means that they have to prove they are earning the national minimum wage every month.

During the meeting, the Minister told Tim that the Government would be holding a review into how Universal Credit can best support people who are self-employed.

Speaking after the meeting, Tim said: “At a time when their basic payments have been cut, there is no safety net for farmers who are really struggling with rising costs and extreme weather.

“The current welfare system is completely unfair for farmers.

“The minister was very sympathetic to their plight and listened to our case to reform Universal Credit so that income is monitored every four months rather than every four weeks.

“I’ll keep fighting for our farmers to get the support they need and deserve.”