Up to 50 jobs to go at Ironbridge Museums as National Trust gears up to take over
Up to 50 jobs are set to go at Ironbridge's museums as the National Trust gears up to take over.
The news has been confirmed by the National Trust, which is in the process of taking over the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust.
The takeover, which was announced in October, is expected to be completed in March this year.
But now it has emerged that ahead of the takeover a formal redundancy consultation has been launched - involving 188 of the trust's staff, with plans to make 50 redundant.
In a statement Paul Forecast, Regional Director for the National Trust in the Midlands and East of England, said the financial state of the heritage sector means "difficult decisions have to made"
He added that as part of the takeover the National Trust is considering all costs - including staffing.
He said: "Safeguarding this globally important site and ensuring the Ironbridge Gorge museums can remain open to visitors, is the priority for the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) and the National Trust.
"Financial challenges faced by the heritage sector means difficult decisions have had to be made, resulting in the National Trust agreeing to take on the management of IGMT sites from March this year.
"As a conservation charity ourselves, and as with any transfer of this nature, we need to consider all costs including reviewing staff structures and streamlining processes.
"We will do this whilst supporting a visitor offer that will continue to appeal to loyal visitors and extend its reach to new audiences.
"A formal consultation has been launched with affected IGMT staff, and all IGMT staff and volunteers have been invited to provide feedback on the proposals.
"We appreciate this is a very difficult time and we are working closely with IGMT to support everyone involved. 188 staff are affected by the consultation, and the proposals are to make approximately 50 people redundant."
