ALMOST 1,300 jobs are to go at the National Trust, as it seeks to save £100million of annual costs as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

The organisation runs Winchester City Mill, Mottisfont Abbey at Romsey, Hinton Ampner near Alresford and the New Forest Northern Commons.

The trust, which warned in July that it might have to make 1,200 people redundant to deal with the fallout from the pandemic, has said it is making 514 compulsory redundancies following consultation.

A further 782 people have taken voluntary redundancy, as part of cuts to jobs that will save around £59 million a year.

The trust is also saving around £41m in annual costs from areas such as reducing travel and office costs and cutting marketing and print spend in favour of digital communications.

The coronavirus crisis hit almost every aspect of income for the conservation and heritage charity, which has 5.6m members, shutting all of its houses, gardens, car parks, shops and cafes, and stopping holidays and events.

Today’s figures are in addition to 162 people who were previously told they were being made redundant as £124m of projects were halted or deferred – and who bring the total job losses linked to the pandemic to 1,458.

The National Trust said that it had halved the number of compulsory redundancies it had planned to make following consultation.

And changes to the plans have seen jobs in everyday maintenance and curatorial roles retained, along with roles focused on helping children learn, the charity said.

The trust said it had already saved millions of pounds through freezing recruitment, drawing on reserves, borrowing, stopping or deferring projects and reducing marketing, travel and office costs.

Director general Hilary McGrady thanked staff, volunteers and members who shared their views on the proposals, saying the consultation had enabled the Trust to adapt its plans while still making the savings it required.

She said: “This is a very painful time for so many organisations, businesses and communities. The trust is only as strong as it is because of its people – our staff, volunteers and supporters.

“No leader wants to be forced into announcing any redundancies, but coronavirus means we simply have no other choice if we want to give the charity a sustainable future.

“We have exhausted every other avenue to find savings, but sadly we now have to come to terms with the fact that we will lose some colleagues.

“We will do all we can to support those who are leaving, and others affected by these significant changes.

“In making these changes now, I am confident we will be well-placed to face the challenges ahead, protecting the places that visitors love and nature needs, and ensuring our conservation work continues long into the future.”

The 514 compulsory redundancies include 62 hourly-paid staff, while the 782 voluntary redundancies include 146 hourly-paid staff.

Ms McGrady said the National Trust would continue to open as many places as possible while the UK battled Covid-19 and government restrictions remained in place.