Responding to today’s Winter Floods report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee which shows that a further 750 jobs will be lost from the Environment Agency this year, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:
“Last winter’s catastrophic floods that destroyed properties and devastated lives will be a bleak vision of the future, unless the government wakes up to the fact that slashing yet more jobs at the Environment Agency is fickle and dangerous.
“The Coalition has already dispensed with a third of the Environment Agency workforce despite increased demand for the life saving work they do. Cutting another 750 jobs is just another example of the Tory obession with blindly cutting costs with no regard for the consequences.
“It is critical that the government learns from its mistakes and recognises that vulnerable communities will be left exposed. The Environment Agency must have the staff and resources to get on with the vital job of strengthening coastal defences and safeguarding against future disasters.”
