WIREDGOV

PCS warned that 550 job cuts in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will further undermine the ability of the department to co-ordinate future flood responses.

Defra, which has overall responsibility for the response to the ongoing floods crisis are cutting 550 jobs by March 2008 which will be followed by a 5% year on year budget cut until 2011. Last year saw some of Defra's flood management policy work transferred to the Environment Agency as well as the closure of all their regional offices in places such as, Lincoln, Taunton and Tunbridge Wells. The only remaining office is in York. Cuts have also seen the loss of eight regional engineers in flood management taking the total to four.

The union expressed fears that the department lacks capacity to co-ordinate responses to extreme weather events and called on the government to halt the cuts and look at the resourcing of the department as part of the promised review.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "There is a real fear that cuts will hamper the ability of Defra to co-ordinate future responses to floods and extreme weather conditions. We urge Gordon Brown, as part of the promised review into the flooding crisis, to halt the cuts in Defra and ensure that department has the capacity and resources to respond to future floods."