Tim Farron secures ministerial meeting over Universal Credit support for struggling farmers

On the floor of the House of Commons this week, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron challenged ministers over the way Universal Credit rules can leave hill farmers and small businesses unable to access support despite living on very low incomes.

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, and there will be a number of months where expenses will be incurred but there will be virtually no income until grain or stock is sold.

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.

Speaking during Work and Pensions Questions, Tim said: “The University of Cumbria has shown that average hill farm incomes are less than the national minimum wage in our communities and beyond.

“Despite their poverty, farmers of all kinds and small businesses often cannot claim Universal Credit at all because of the way that Universal Credit is assessed on the basis of monthly income, when they might have fluctuating annual income.

“Will the Minister meet me and farmers’ representatives to ensure that farmers in poverty get the support that they deserve?”

Responding, the Minister for Employment, Dame Diana Johnson said she would be very happy to meet with Tim.