Unite condemns ideologically driven plans by government to sell off England

Unite condemns ideologically driven plans by government to sell off England’s forests

Unite condemns ideologically driven plans by government to sell off England’s forests

Unite, the UK’s largest union, has condemned plans by the Tory-led government to sell-off England’s forests, which was announced today as part of the government’s ‘public service reform’ in the form of the Public Bodies Bill.

By abolishing the Forestry Commission, which is crucial to protecting the environment, hundreds of specialist ‘green’ jobs will be lost. The government’s proposals have already sparked a massive wave of protest, and this is only just one small part of the Public Bodies Bill.

Unite national officer, Ian Waddell, said: “This bill gives Ministers sweeping powers to sell-off the entire forest estate of England in the biggest change in land ownership since the Second World War.

“We are completely opposed to the privatisation of our forests. It undoubtedly means a loss of public access to these areas for recreation. The Forestry Commission is good value for money to the public at a cost of only 30p per UK citizen per year.

The Forestry Commission has more than 1,500 woods which attract around 40 million visits a year and puts over £2 billion into the economy, mainly in rural areas. It employs 3,240 people, 70 per cent of whom work in managing the forests.

Unite is leading the opposition to the government’s public services reform and has organised a rally and lobby of Parliament on Wednesday, 9 February. This rally and lobby is open to anyone who is affected by the Public Bodies Bill.

ENDS

For further information contact Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite press office on 020 7420 8914 or 07980 224761.

NOTES

The government’s Public Bodies Bill, which is currently wending its way through the House of Lords, has proposed to reform 481 bodies, of which, 192 will cease to be public bodies and their functions will either be brought back into government, devolved, or abolished altogether. Vital organisations from every sector are being abolished ranging from the UK Film Council to the Forestry Commission, British Waterways to the Agricultural Wages Board.