Environmental consultancy Resource Futures has announced plans to reduce its staffing levels and close its office in Leeds in response to tough market conditions and decreased public sector expenditure.
The company, which has headquarters in Bristol, currently employs over 50 members of staff, both on a full-time and part-time basis, and provides project support, research and advice for both public and private sector clients.
It won't affect our ability to meet the way the market will be in the future at all. It is more that we have removed back of office and overheads
Jane Stephenson, chief executive, Resource Futures
Resource Futures announced on Friday (January 7) that, in a bid to “reflect market conditions”, it would be reducing its core staff and management, as well as its consultancy team. This is in addition to losses of full-time staff from the company's “back office”.
Jane Stephenson, chief executive of Resource Futures, told letsrecycle.com that the company currently employs 35 people on full-time contracts and seven of these posts would go. However, Ms Stephenson insisted that the decision not would impact on its consultancy work.
She said: “No, it won't affect our ability to meet the way the market will be in the future at all. It is more that we have removed back of office and overheads.”
The company did state that it would be looking to develop a network of “experienced associates and partners” in a bid to extend the “depth and breadth” of Resource Future's service offering.
Resource Futures said it would continue to focus its efforts on topics such as food waste, waste prevention, service reviews, partnership working and waste service support, such as the roll-out of new services and the treatment of specialist waste streams like paint.
This would be in addition to taking on work regarding sustainable travel and water projects, both areas which Ms Stephenson hailed as exemplifying the growing offering of the consultancy.
And, despite the closure of the office in central Leeds, Resource Futures stated that it will seek to retain its presence in the north of England. This is in addition to offering services “across the UK and overseas”.
In November 2009, it emerged that it had received £1.2 million from the Waste & Resources Action Programme to carry out research work since April 2007 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Ms Stephenson added: “We pride ourselves on our ability to respond to market changes and whilst we are saddened to be losing some experienced and highly valued colleagues, we view this as an opportunity to align ourselves more strongly with markets needs and focus on our core strengths in both our waste and wider resource efficiency work.”
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