Concern as EA job cuts estimate rises to 1,700

Waste industry bodies have expressed concerns after the Environment Agency (EA) confirmed an estimated 1,700 staff are likely to be cut between now and October 2014 higher and sooner than its previous estimates of 1,400 job losses up to 2016.

According to an Agency spokeswoman, the current total headcount of staff is 11,400, which will reduce to around 11,250 by March 2014, before further cuts will take the figure down to 9,700 by October 2014 a total of 1,700 job losses.

It was revealed earlier this month that the EA was to cut 1,400 jobs between now and 2016, although an Agency spokeswoman said at the time that it was still determining the scale of any reduction in staff numbers and that no final decision had been made (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, now the estimated reduction has increased, with the number of staff set to be cut to 9,700 over the next year and then to remain at that level until March 2015, after which point the Agencys budget has not been confirmed.

An Agency spokesperson said: Our budget for 14/15 will be confirmed shortly. However, we are likely to reduce staff numbers from the previous forecast of around 11,250 at the end of March 2014 to around 9,700 by October 2014. We will then aim to keep numbers broadly at that level through to March 2015 dependent of course on future funding. We will only achieve this by looking across the whole organisation at our ways of working and structures.

Concern

We definitely dont want to see fewer knowledgeable staff on the front line. Fewer means lower quality of legislation as they havent got time to do any regulation and make important decisions.

Jeremy Jacobs, Organics Recycling Group

The Organics Recycling Group (ORG) was among the groups to express concern at the planned increase in job losses at the Agency and said that should the cuts impact frontline staff, it may be a hindrance to businesses in the sector.

Jeremy Jacobs, technical director of the ORG and the Renewable Energy Association (REA), said: We had a lengthy meeting with the Environment Agency recently and one of the things we brought up was our concerns about the cuts in funding.

We definitely dont want to see fewer knowledgeable staff on the front line. Fewer means lower quality of legislation as they havent got time to do any regulation and make important decisions. I have always been supportive and spoken to Defra about the importance of the Agency.

He added: If frontline staff are reduced any further then it will definitely have a negative impact on the ability of sites to operate effectively. What industry requires is a fast turnaround and transparency with permitting so they can make business decisions. Far too often, due to lack of resources, decisions take too long.

Impact

Both the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) and the Environmental Services Association (ESA) have also been critical of cuts to the Agencys budget.

Sam Corp, head of regulation at the ESA, raised concerns about the impact of staff reduction on environmental permit applications and tackling waste crime.

He said that drastic cuts could have a significant impact on the environment as well as on the operations of responsible waste management companies.

Meanwhile, CIWM chief executive Steve Lee was also critical of EA cuts and said that tackling waste crime must be considered a priority for the Agency.