Defra announces budget cuts across environment agencies
More than one-fifth of the budgets allocated to the Environment
Agency and Natural England will be slashed over the next four
years, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(Defra) has announced.
Defra has confirmed the budget cuts as part of a Comprehensive
Spending Review commitment to cut £661 million across the
sector.
The body has already informed its agencies that their budgets
for the coming year will be cut and that extensive cuts will be
ongoing until 2014.
Two of Defra's biggest agencies - the Environment Agency and
Natural England - will both have their budgets cut by 21 per cent,
taking their spending allowance to £652 million and £155 million
respectively.
The Forestry Commission will have cuts of 25 per cent levied,
taking its budget to £33 million. The National Parks and Broads
Authorities fared better, with cuts of 13 per cent, taking the
budget to £46.6 million.
Defra secretary, Caroline Spelman, had previously said that both
the Environment Agency and Natural England were to be
'substantially reformed' in a bid to transform them into 'more
efficient and customer focused' organisations.
Some of the cuts include the £49 million which will be cut
from Defra's administration, IT and estates spending and £30
million from its flood management spending.