A better brighter Britain but not for watching brief conditions

[gwyl]

The drop in watching briefs will inevitably lead to a drop in paid work, even if they are just about the crappest way you can go about doing archaeology.

Absolutely
While not ideal - and overused in cases where a broader programme of works might be far more appropriate - where someone is opening a small hole as part of an extension to a house they can be extremely effective in respect of data acquired for cost, given that around a five hundred to a grand is not uncommon where archaeology was present and which may represent well over the 1% which larger sites cost larger developments; so one must bear in mind relative scales, given that these are not a big company putting up a 1000 units, but someone putting up 3mX5m or something on the back of a house.
it is only right this work be done: as you say it's bad for the smaller companies; the big companies do not react fast enough to these jobs; i've been out on any number of such small WBs where the client has let drop either the unreal price that a larger company tendered, or more likely, that they are still awaiting their response.
but this will mean people on the dole eventually. better get me volunteering pants on.