The National Trust has announced it will be cutting 550 jobs as the charity has been hit by Labour’s employer National Insurance and minimum wage bill.
A spokesman from the charity said a rise of more than £10million in the cost had outstripped an increase in income from visitors.
Staff were informed of the cuts in an online briefing on Thursday, as a 45-day consultation began, reports The Guardian.
The cuts will affect six per cent of its 11,000-strong workforce, the equivalent of 550 full-time jobs.
The charity has come under fire for ‘woke’ policies in recent years
PA
A spokesman from the group said: “Although demand and support for our work are growing with yearly increases in visitors and donations; increasing costs are outstripping this growth.”
The charity looks after 500 historic houses, castles, parks and gardens across the country.
It is believed the cuts will impact frontline roles including staff working in cafes and shops, as well as conservation assistants, who carry out essential preservation work in historic buildings.
According to a spokesman, the cuts were “prioritising the things people told us are important” and “will allow us to keep on caring for and championing our shared historic and natural environment in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, long into the future.”
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Calke Abbey in Derbyshire is another National Trust property
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Deputy general secretary of the Prospect union Steve Thomas said the cuts “will cause huge uncertainty and worry for staff”.
He continued : “We understand the cost pressures the trust is facing but management decisions, as well as external factors, have contributed to the financial situation and once again it is our members who will have to pay the price.
“Our members are custodians of the country’s cultural, historic and natural heritage, cuts of this scale risk losing institutional knowledge and skills which are vital to that mission.”
One member of staff said: “This is going to have an impact on frontline quality at a time when the trust is struggling with its image and relevance in society.”
Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire
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Last year, GB News reported the trust has seen a decline in membership, with numbers dropping by 89,000 to 2.62 million in 2023/24 amid accusations that the organisation has adopted a “woke agenda”.
The fall in members came despite a five per cent increase in visitor numbers to 25.3 million across its sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Former National Trust chair Sir Simon Jenkins warned last year that the organisation was failing to get the balance right on culture issues.
Jenkins acknowledged the Trust’s efforts to re-examine its properties’ history in a Guardian article but criticised the execution.
He advised that on political issues not directly related to its mission, “silence is the wisest policy”.
