Wildlife charity RSPB has said it aims to minimise compulsory redundancies as part of its plans to reduce day-to-day running costs by 7%.
In a statement, RSPB said last year’s employer national insurance contributions had added £2m to its annual staff costs, while minimum wage rises and inflation have also increased the charity’s expenditure.
The charity announced redundancies in November 2024 at seven of its nature reserves, which involved the closure of five retail facilities, four visitor centres and a café.
RSPB made redundancy and termination payments of £638,000 in the year to March 2025, according to its accounts, as its average staff numbers decreased by 1% to 2,486.
The charity’s income has risen year after year but it said this week that the growth has been “simply not fast enough to keep up with costs”.
RSPB is now “looking at how we operate beyond our nature reserves network – simplifying our structures and reducing our costs”.
“Achieving this means making some changes within the organisation, and we have started a formal consultation process with our staff,” its statement reads.
“During the consultation period, we will not be able to comment on specific proposals, although we can say that having recently completed a review of our nature reserve operations, we don’t anticipate making further changes to this area.
“We are committed to meaningful consultation, minimising compulsory redundancies wherever possible, and supporting our dedicated and talented teams through this process.”
A spokesperson for the charity told Civil Society it is aiming to reduce operating costs by 7%.
The charity’s income rose by 15% to £195m in 2024-25 while its expenditure increased by 5% to £177m.
RSPB’s consultation is due to close on 15 July.
