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 the county wants it to become self-financing by 2021.

The council owns more than 6,500 acres of countryside, managed by rangers on behalf of the Surrey Wildlife Trust.

Sites managed by the trust near Haslemere and Farnham with a public access agreement with Surrey County Council are:–

• Puttenham Common,

• Rodborough Common at Milford, and

• Crooksbury Hill near Farnham.

Altogether, Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) manages almost 8,000 hectares of land in Surrey – around five per cent of the county – over 82 sites.

A petition with over 900 signatures so far has been started to stop the redundancies.

A Surrey Wildlife Trust spokesman said there would be a “restructuring” of the roles down 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 Surrey County Council 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 county council spokesman said: “The countryside needs to be self-financing due to the huge financial pressures we face for services like adult social care.”

The wildlife trust 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.”

The Lib Dem’s environment spokesman councillor Stephen Cooksey said: “I warned the Conservatives at County Hall 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 the wildlife trust had a viable future, but I am worried these redundancies prove the opposite is true.”

The council’s 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 Ministry of Defence for 600 acres of lowland heath, which are unaffected, including Hankley and Elstead Commons.

While some are MoD and some are county council owned, Surrey Wildlife Trust -owned sites include:–

• Thundry Meadows at Elstead along the River Wey

• Bagmoor Common, Fir Tree Copse near Dunsfold

• Runfold Wood and Underdown near Farnham

• Seale Chalkpit and Farncombe and Meadow Wood.

The reduncancies petition can be signed at www.pettions.surreycc.gov.uk/SWTfunding