CSS Agreement Offers

Applicants to Countryside Stewardship (CSS) may have to start the scheme without having an agreement in place. Natural England had been aiming to issue all agreement offers during December ready for the 1^st January 2016 start date but this will now not be possible.  Letters will be sent out to applicants during the first week of December with an offer ‘subject to final eligibility checks being satisfactory’.  These checks include any mapping changes, cross-checks with BPS applications and supporting documents. Applicants must still provide all supporting documents and evidence by the 15^th December.  The delay in eligibility checks stems largely from the extended BPS deadline and the shift back to paper forms. 

With offers being sent during December and January some claimants could be incurring costs to be able to provide the required management without having a confirmed offer.  Natural England will be writing to applicants who have been unsuccessful in the second week of December but some offers will not being send until after the 1^st January.  Despite this, the CS agreement will be effective from the 1^st and the scheme requirements must be adhered to.  Natural England should be contacted for advice where an applicant was planning to undertake works or incur costs during January.

A final manual for agreements starting in January has also been published. This can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countryside-stewardship-manual-and-grants-1-january-2016-agreements