Tears flow as just 12 staff keep their jobs at Shugborough Estate
Devastated Shugborough Estate staff who are set be axed have said goodbye to visitors for the final time as it was revealed three quarters of workers will lose their jobs.
The heritage site closed to the public on Friday ahead of Staffordshire County Council formally relinquishing management to the National Trust on November 1.
The trust, which operates a volunteer-led model, has now confirmed that out of 73 employees, including around 30 full-time positions, only 12 will keep jobs.
A total of 56 people have been made redundant while five have left of their own accord.
Describing the scenes on Friday one staff member, who did not wish to be named, said: "It has been an extremely difficult last two days. We have literally just closed the doors and this was the last ever day for some people.
"One person had worked there for 29 years and has been made redundant while her husband had been there for ten years.
"Many of them had been there for to ten to 20 years.
"When you work somewhere like Shugborough you get an attachment to it.
"Everyone has just said about the huge amount of loss they feel.
"It is like losing your best friend and been told not to feel sad about it.
"I have never seen so many people in tears.
"It was the last shuttle bus, the last train rides, the last everything.
"We understand the financial reasons for this but the way it has been handled by the council has been appalling. There has not been a jot of thanks."
Gill Heath, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member for Communities and the Environment, said: "The council has invested a great deal in the whole of the Shugborough Estate over the years to keep it safe in the heart of Staffordshire, but at a time when every pound counts, the idea to let the experts at the National Trust develop Shugborough as a year-round asset makes a lot of sense and enables us to focus on our priorities.
"This agreement will bring great benefits for Shugborough, Staffordshire residents and the National Trust."
National Trust spokesman Matt Critchley added: "There will be 12 people staying on which is 40 per cent of the permanent workforce.
"There will be a total of 56 redundancies, the majority of them were on zero hour and casual contracts.
"We have created new positions and some of those 56 have not applied for those jobs which they may have been suitable for.
"We are advertising incrementally for new roles as we grow our team. Not all roles have been advertised yet."