The National Trust saw its overall expenditure rise by 3% last year as it spent £17.8m on redundancies, according to its annual report.
Last year, the conservation charity reduced its workforce by 6% (around 500 full-time roles) in an effort to save £26m from its annual wage bill as part of its “sustainable future” programme.
Today, the charity has revealed that £17.8m was spent overall on redundancy costs in the year to February 2026, £16.4m of which came as part of the cost-cutting programme.
In an introduction to the charity’s annual report, director-general Hilary McGrady said the programme had “brought the organisation onto a more sustainable and resilient footing”.
“This was an undoubtedly challenging period for many colleagues as redundancies were made,” she said.
“I’d like to thank the staff who left us during this period for their lasting impact and service.”
The charity’s average full-time equivalent number of employees declined by 3% to 8,508 in 2025-26.
Overall, its expenditure rose by more than £22m year-on-year to £847m in 2025-26.
The charity spent over £11m more on property operating costs (£412m) but its expenditure on property projects declined by more than £9m to £200m.
Young membership rise
The National Trust’s income rose by 4% to 796m, supported by a nearly £15m rise in membership income.
While the charity’s overall number of members edged higher to 2.62 million, its young person’s memberships (£50.40 a year for 18–25-year-olds) grew by more than a quarter year-on-year, equating to 50,600 new members.
Chair Rene Olivieri said: “The surge in young people joining a conservation charity is good news for nature and good news for heritage. I’m thrilled that so many young people want to be part of this cause.”
The National Trust charity also recorded a 5% increase in overall visitors from the previous year and a record £4.1m was raised from the charity’s 263 second-hand bookshops.
Meanwhile, fundraised income rose to £125m from £123m the year before.
