The National Trust (NT) has consulted staff on the possible loss of 60 posts following a structural shake-up.
The trust, which employs 4,500 people, said the number of redundancies would be confirmed this month in light of its new Going Local management strategy.
“The proposals, which envisage the loss of about 60 posts from the Swindon, London and regional offices over the coming months, mark the start [in July] of a 90-day consultation process that outlines a potential £10m in savings from a range of sources over the next three years, and a substantial reduction in bureaucracy and duplication of effort,” said a trust spokesman.
But John Stevenson, negotiations officer at the Prospect union, said: “We are hoping for fewer than the 60 redundancies planned. We are pressing the NT regarding these proposals and trying to ascertain whether the new structures and roles are viable. There is an open dialogue.”
Under Going Local, the trust is reducing the number of regional offices in England from nine to six, devolving decision-making to more than 170 property and general managers, and creating a 500-strong National Trust consultancy based at sites countrywide that will offer specialist advice.
The spokesman said the new regional management structure, introduced in April, “empowered property teams, freeing them to take more decisions”.
The charity made a net gain of £58.7m in 2009-10. Income from commercial activities increased from £50.4m in 2008-09 to £54.7m.
There were 17.2 million visitors to the trust’s pay-for-entry properties during 2009-10.