A charity that runs a prominent museum of arms and armour in Leeds has been offering its staff voluntary redundancy in a cost-cutting drive.
Nat Edwards, Royal Armouries director-general, recently announced a consultation aiming to cut overall staff costs by 9% as part of a restructure.
The Royal Armouries, which also looks after Fort Nelson in Portsmouth and objects in the Tower of London, has been hit by rising costs – including pay – and energy inflation, Edwards said.
Edwards said that the Royal Armouries’ state funding allocation has not kept pace with operating cost increases.
He added that the charity has agreed changes to reduce the board’s salary costs and would consult on its total staff, which numbered 224 in the organisation's most recent accounts.
“[This involves] a number of roles potentially being declared ‘at risk’ of redundancy,” he said.
“We recognise this can be a difficult time, and we are committed to supporting our staff through this process.”
The consultation is expected to conclude at the end of the year.
Rising costs
The exempt charity’s most recent accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 show that its income rose to £14.2m from £14m the year prior.
However, its expenditure increased to £16.7m from £15.6m over the same period.
This included a rise in salaries and related employee costs, which reached £7.94m in 2024-25 from £7.22m the year before, driven by a staff pay rise.
Established in 1983 as a non-departmental government body, the charity also undertook “substantial” building works in 2024-25, which led to energy costs rising to £854,000 from £662,000 the year before.
Edwards stated: “Even though we have attracted record levels of visitors and generated more income than ever before […] due to fiscal pressures our core funding has not kept pace with rising costs.
“Despite our best efforts, we need to take these [cost saving] measures to protect our core mission.”
The director-general added that the board has started a programme to balance its budgets, reduce spending and increase earned income.
“This is a necessary and responsible step to protect our financial position,” he added.
In May last year, the Royal Armouries bought two plots of land for £11.7m, funded entirely by a loan from its sponsor the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
It now owns the freehold of the Leeds Dock waterfront site and buildings, meaning that the Royal Armouries owns its home for the first time in its 702-year history.
