Welsh Government
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Wide support for a single body to manage Wales' natural resources

Plans for a single body to manage Wales’ natural resources have been widely welcomed, Environment Minister, John Griffiths confirmed.

Speaking in Plenary the Minister reported that the large majority of the 308 individuals and organisations had responded positively to the Welsh Government’s consultation on the establishment of a single body.

The Minister confirmed that the Welsh Government would therefore be proceeding with the development of a single body.

The majority of consultation respondents broadly supported the idea that the single body would offer one single point of contact and felt this would help to improve the level of service offered to the customer. 

They also supported the concept of a body that would deliver the best combination of social, environmental and economic benefits.

The Welsh Government consulted on plans to replace the Environment Agency Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Forestry Commission for Wales with one single body at the beginning of the year.

It believes that one single environment body will ensure the most sustainable and effective management of Wales’ natural resources. The transition from three environment bodies to one is estimated to result in gross savings of up to £158m over a ten year period.

The Minister said:

“The natural environment really is crucial to Wales.  Benefits derived from the natural world contribute £8.8bn worth of goods and services to the economy every year. They also form 9% of Welsh GDP and equate to one in six jobs.

“We know that modern life is putting our natural resources under increasing pressure. As a nation we need to make sure that we live as sustainably as possible but we must also ensure that that our environment is managed in the most effective and efficient way.

“The responses to our consultation show that there is broad consensus that our decision to replace three bodies with one is the right one. They demonstrate wide ranging support for the principle of well-integrated natural resource management through the creation of a single body.

"This is a significant day for Wales Although there are challenges to overcome, we believe that this change will help us to  make our country better – for people and their communities, for the environment and for the economy.” 

The single body is due to come into being on 1 April 2013. The Welsh Government and three bodies are currently working hard to prepare for the establishment of the new body so that it can hit the ground running.

As part of his speech in Plenary the Minister provided more details on how the employment of staff of the existing bodies would be affected by the move and has written personally to them on this issue. He reiterated continued support for affected staff, their employment rights and efforts to ensure the best possible pension arrangements.

The Welsh Government will shortly advertise for a Chief Executive and Chair Person for the Single Environment Body. It also plans to lay an order by the end of the month that will allow the creation of the new body so that preparatory work can be progressed.

Related

Links

Natural resources Wales - Proposed arrangements for establishing and directing a new body for the management of Wales’ natural resources

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