England’s Environment Agency has announced it will be axing an estimated 1500 jobs from the flood protection department as part of an organisation restructure. The news comes amidst the country’s latest flood warnings, which sees some parts facing severe winds, torrential rain and major flooding. Several rivers have already burst their banks, and there are currently 188 flood warnings across the country.
The announcement that jobs will be cut in the flood protection department has left people fearing the impact this will have on the country, particularly at present as we are facing such severe weather conditions. It is not currently clear just how many job losses will take place in the flood protection department.
Many areas in the South of England are just beginning to recover from the last bout of bad weather before Christmas. A spokesman for the Environment Agency has defended their decision, claiming that the company must reduce costs and save money, which meant cutting jobs along with the rest of the country’ public sector. The organisation is set to reduce staff numbers from over 11,000 to under 10,000 by October 2014.
The future doesn’t look bright for Environment Agency employees and England’s flood defence as a whole.
