Waste group’s budget to be slashed by 25%
Budget cuts to other bodies funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) look likely, with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) facing a whopping 25% cut.
The move reduces the budget for WRAP, which advises industry on reducing and recycling waste, to between £55M and £60M. It follows threats reported in Food Manufacture’s December issue.
DEFRA sources expressed surprise at cuts to an organisation carrying out key government priorities of encouraging sustainability and reducing carbon footprint. But they suggested it was probably a case of WRAP having to share in the pain of budget cuts being implemented across the board in DEFRA.
Announcing the news to staff last week, WRAP chief executive Dr Liz Goodwin said: “WRAP has delivered more than anyone ever predicted in terms of action to reduce the impact of climate change, reducing waste and encouraging better use of natural resources.” However, she added: “DEFRA is facing serious budget pressures and has indeed asked us to reduce our budget by a significant amount. The final amount is still to be agreed, but DEFRA has told us that for planning purposes we should expect a reduction of around 25%. This means that WRAP’s overall budget would be around £55-60M.”
Goodwin said that going forward WRAP would be focusing on its “core strengths” but would still need to implement efficiency improvements. She added: “Unfortunately, a budget cut of this size is likely to have some impact on jobs over and above the changes being envisaged in the business planning process.” While the number of job losses expected was not given, it would be “nowhere near 25%” due to new roles being created, she said. A formal consultation with staff has now begun.
