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The National Trust laid off nearly 1,800 staff and shut tea rooms last year in ruthless pandemic cost-cutting despite having cash reserves of more than £400million.
Latest accounts reveal that the charity increased its coffers by a third as it pressed on with the controversial cuts.
Its unrestricted cash reserves rose from £317million to £410million by February, £224million above its own ‘minimum reserves target’ of £186million set by trustees.
Yet it pressed on with its drive to make 1,767 staff redundant – one in seven of its 12,389 total – saving £53million in staff costs out of total savings of £94million.
The job cuts came despite the Trust receiving millions under the Government’s furlough scheme, leading to criticism from MPs
Of the redundancies, 845 were voluntary and 922 compulsory. The Trust also revealed 55 of its ‘food and drink offerings’ shut last year will remain permanently closed.
The job
