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Canals 'may close' after job cuts Canals 'may close' after job cuts
(about 3 hours later)
Some of Britain's waterways may close after the organisation which runs the network announces 180 job losses. Some of Britain's waterways may have to close amid funding cuts which have led to 180 job losses, the organisation which runs the 2,200-mile network says.
British Waterways says the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has slashed its budget by 15%. British Waterways blames the cuts on a £7m drop in its funding from Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs.
It says it is suffering because of Defra's expensive mismanagement of farm subsidies, according to BBC rural affairs Correspondent Tom Heap. Defra's cost-cutting follows a £200m overspend - which it blames partly on bird flu fears and new farm subsidies
Defra said its £200m overspend was partly due to bird flu fears. Union Unison said it would fight the cuts. A merger of regional branches based in Tamworth, Staffs, and Birmingham will account for a third of the job losses.
'Knee-jerk reaction' Approximately another 60 jobs are set to go from the organisation's central office workforce, with a similar number being cut from its other British Waterways units.
A spokesman for the union, which represents many of the agency's workers, said: "We will fight these job cuts with every means at our disposal and we have arranged an emergency meeting of stewards to draw up plans." Defra [Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs] is now operating within a very tight fiscal regime A Defra spokesman
Other bodies, such as the Environment Agency and Natural England, are also expected to have their budgets squeezed, our correspondent said. Robin Evans, chief executive of British Waterways, announcing the job cuts, said: "I am announcing these decisions... because they are essential if we are to maintain our rate of progress.
"I accept that this is difficult news but we cannot be complacent in our management of the waterways network.
"We must constantly adapt and change to the circumstances around us, remaining committed to our vision of an expanded, vibrant, largely self-sufficient network enjoyed by an ever-increasing numbers of visitors."
A Defra spokesman described British Waterways as a "success story" over the past seven years with more than 200 miles of canal and waterway restored aided by more than £524m of government cash.
He said: "The in-year (annual) cuts of around £7m must be seen against this backdrop."
He added: "While Defra wishes to do everything it can to support the vision of British Waterways' board, they are aware that Defra is now operating within a very tight fiscal regime."
A spokesman for Unison, which represents many of the agency's workers, said: "We will fight these job cuts with every means at our disposal and we have arranged an emergency meeting of stewards to draw up plans."
'Difficult news'
"Unison believes it's an absolute disgrace that 180 hard-working loyal members of staff at British Waterways face the prospect of losing their job due to incompetence at Defra," a spokesman told the BBC."Unison believes it's an absolute disgrace that 180 hard-working loyal members of staff at British Waterways face the prospect of losing their job due to incompetence at Defra," a spokesman told the BBC.
"Job cuts should be a last and not the first resort," he said."Job cuts should be a last and not the first resort," he said.
The government says any decision on job cuts is down to the British Waterways board and job cuts would only amount to a small proportion of the agency's workforce.
The union, which has called for talks to consider alternative options before staff are made redundant, claimed it had been given "an assurance" in the summer that there would be no "knee-jerk reaction" to funding cuts.The union, which has called for talks to consider alternative options before staff are made redundant, claimed it had been given "an assurance" in the summer that there would be no "knee-jerk reaction" to funding cuts.