Forty-seven roles will be made redundant at Ironbridge Gorge Museums after the site transfers to the National Trust on 2 March.
Announced last autumn, the takeover of Ironbridge Gorge’s 10 museums and 35 listed heritage buildings will be the first time the National Trust has fully acquired a site previously operated by a museum trust. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has invested £9m in the transfer.
The move is intended to safeguard the future of the Unesco world heritage site after it struggled with financial challenges and falling visitor numbers.
A consultation has been conducted by the National Trust with Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust (IGMT), the site’s current custodian, to determine what the staffing structure will look like after the transfer.
Of the 184 staff involved in the consultation, the National Trust confirmed to Museums Journal that 47 people are expected to be made redundant after 2 March.
The majority of posts affected are in management and support function areas such as finance, IT, HR and marketing, which already exist within the National Trust.
A spokesperson for the National Trust said that this was “slightly fewer than anticipated through proposals, as we were able to add some roles back into the structure as a result of consultation feedback”.
The spokesperson said there were “significant economic reasons for making changes to secure the long-term sustainability of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums”, given the financial challenges faced by IGMT.
“To that end, we intend to introduce a new operating model that is economically viable whilst supporting a visitor offer that will both continue to appeal to loyal visitors and extend its reach to new audiences,” said the spokesperson.
“This operating model utilises tried and tested models already existing in the National Trust, and also builds roles into the proposed structure that reflect unique aspects of IGMT that are not in place at existing National Trust portfolios, such as costume interpreter and foundry assistant.”
Paul Forecast, the regional director for the National Trust in the Midlands and East of England, said the charity’s priority was to safeguard the site and to ensure that all of the museums can continue to open to visitors.
He said: “Financial challenges affecting the heritage sector led to the IGMT approaching the National Trust to take on the care of the Ironbridge Gorge sites.
“As a conservation charity ourselves, we are not immune to these challenges, and we have had to carefully consider all costs in agreeing to the transfer. This has included raising vital funds, such as the £9m investment from DCMS.
“Whilst this investment is enabling the transfer to go ahead, we are only permitted to spend the interest the money generates on caring for the sites, so we still need to fundraise, and savings need to be made.”
Forecast said the National Trust had looked at how the Ironbridge Gorge sites are currently run and “how we can streamline processes, due to many management and support roles already existing within the National Trust”.
“It is imperative that we introduce a new operating model that is both economically viable and proven to be successful at other places in our care,” he said.
“During a consultation with IGMT staff we have reviewed all of the individual and collective feedback received and made several changes as a result, with some additional roles added in.”
Forecast added: “We are mindful that this is a very difficult time for everyone involved and we are working closely with IGMT to support those affected by these changes.”
All Ironbridge Gorge museum sites will close temporarily at the end of Sunday 22 February ahead of a phased re-opening under National Trust management.
Karen Davies, interim CEO at IGMT, said the sites would “close after business on Sunday, February 22, the last day of half term, to allow a week for work including retail and catering stock takes to take place ahead of the transfer”.
The IGMT will be wound down in March after 59 years in operation.
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