Warning over future of Shugborough Hall
Visitors to Shugborough Hall will be served up a poorer experience if plans to recruit volunteers to staff the attraction go ahead, unions warned today.
Unison bosses – who are in talks with county council chiefs about proposals to halve the estate's frontline staff in a bid to save around £148,000 – today told of their fears for the future. Staffordshire branch secretary Steve Elsey said: "We have major concerns over the quality of service and depth of knowledge that will continue to be provided."
The shake-up will also see the estate close on a Tuesday, traditionally the quietest day of the week, while the season will be shortened by nine days.
The number of staff in the visitor service sector will be slashed from 66 to 32 in a radical restructure expected to save £148,000. Bosses say they need to cut £246,000 from budgets overall.
Mr Elsey said today: "We are involved in the ongoing consultation and it is clear there are a number of cost-cutting measures on the table. Among these is moving to a National Trust model of volunteer staffing.
"We concede the county council does have some tough decisions to make.
"However there are a lot of very experienced staff with a lot of knowledge who have worked at Shugborough for a long time.
"We have grave concerns over whether they would wish to volunteer to do a job they have been paid for for many years."
After announcing the cuts last month county council chiefs confirmed plans to recruit unpaid volunteers from next summer onwards.
The consultation period ends on November 30.
Interviews with affected staff will be completed by January 18, with the changes beginning on March 22, 2013. No full-time workers will lose their jobs.
