SURREY Wildlife Trust has confirmed that staff numbers are being reduced from 16 to 10, but says it will not abandon the countryside.
Following budget cuts by Surrey County Council (SCC) the trust announced the “restructuring of its countryside management team”, as it can no longer afford to pay for its estate team and SCC wants it to become self-financing by 2021.
The county council owns more than 2,300 hectares (6,500 acres) of countryside, managed by rangers on behalf of the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
Altogether, Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) manages almost 8,000 hectares of land in Surrey (five per cent of the county)over 82 sites.
A petition has been started to stop the redundancies via petitions.surreycc.gov.uk/SWTfunding.
A spokesman for Surrey Wildlife Trust said there would be a “restructuring” of the roles from 16 to 10.
The spokesman said: “This is a very difficult time for the trust, its staff and volunteers – but our mission will always be to care for Surrey’s beautiful landscape for the benefit of wildlife and people. We will not abandon the countryside in spite of current challenges.
“We are a local charity, but as the only organisation in the county solely working for wildlife, we strongly believe we are the only ones with the passion and expertise to ensure the protection of our countryside.
“We have to adapt to the changing economic and political climate, which threatens our precious wild spaces in Surrey.
“While we are making good progress developing new sources of income to fund the SCC estate, this will not fill the funding gap.
“Our work on the ground is at the heart of the trust, but sadly reorganising the way our countryside management team works is necessary if we are to make the significant savings needed.
“The proposal is to have six fewer roles. The new team of 10 will continue to manage the five per cent of Surrey the Trust is responsible for.”
The trust said it had started a consultation process with all staff affected, which will continue until the end of March. The new posts will not be called rangers. Volunteers will not be affected.
A spokesman for the council said: “The countryside needs to be self-financing due to the huge financial pressures we face for services like adult social care.”
SWT took over the management of Surrey’s Countryside Estate in May 2002 under an agreement that was thought to be the first of its kind.
Liberal Democrat councillors have slammed the decision to withdraw funding.
Councillor Pauline Searle said: “The rangers perform vital work across the whole of Surrey, protecting the countryside and helping to preserve our wonderful natural heritage. I have worked closely with them to deliver real improvements to my local area and it is so important that their work continues.
“It would be a very sad day for Surrey residents who value our countryside and environment so deeply, if we were to lose them.”
Lib Dem spokesman for environment Stephen Cooksey said: “I warned the Conservatives at County Hall that their aim to make Surrey Wildlife Trust self-funding by 2020/21 was risky and I am very concerned about the trust’s staffing proposals for the next financial year. The Cabinet member for the environment made assurances that the Wildlife Trust had a viable future but I am worried that these redundancies prove that the opposite is true.”
The SCC Estate provides open access to 4,000 hectares of the county. The remainder is managed on behalf of private landowners under long term access agreements.
The trust also has management agreements with the MoD for 243 hectares of lowland heath, which are unaffected. These include Hankley and Elstead Commons.
While some are MoD and some are county council owned, SWT-owned sites locally are: Thundry Meadows at Elstead alongside the River Wey, Bagmoor Common, Fir Tree Copse near Dunsfold, Runfold Wood and Underdown near Farnham, Seale Chalkpit and Meadow, and Farncombe Wood.
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