Water firm cuts head office jobs

Ofwat has demanded that water companies cut customer bills

Almost 90 jobs could be cut by a water company as part of its drive to reduce customers' bills.

Anglian Water, which serves customers across the East, said 86 jobs were at risk at its head office in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

But the company pledged to minimise redundancies and said 46 new jobs would also be created.

Union leaders said the burden of keeping costs down is being met by workers' jobs.

An Anglian Water spokeswoman said: "This is part of the company's plan to reduce costs as it prepares to drive customer bills down over the next five years and meet the pressures of the prolonged recession.

"All efforts will be made to minimise redundancies, but 86 jobs are at risk in the proposals.

Fat returns

"However, 46 new jobs are being created as part of the restructuring which means that it is anticipated only around 40 jobs may be lost.

"Consultations with affected employees and trade union representatives began on Monday."

Mick Ainsley, of the GMB, said: "These proposed job losses arise from the Ofwat review of the water industry, with the burden of keeping costs down falling yet again on water workers.

"Financial engineering has ensured that the water industry monopoly yields the usual fat returns to bond holders who take no risk whatsoever.

"These returns stay high as customers pay ever higher prices and workers pay with their jobs."

The firm serves Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.