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Westminster Abbey to make one fifth of staff redundant after revenue drop

31 July 2020

PA

The Deputy Clarke of the Works, Iain McDonald, and a supervisor from the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association, Adam Garre, abseil down the west tower of Westminster Abbey, in London, as they check the condition of the stone, last Friday

The Deputy Clarke of the Works, Iain McDonald, and a supervisor from the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association, Adam Garre, abseil down the west to...

WESTMINSTER ABBEY will have to lay off 20 per cent of its staff because of the pandemic. It is expecting to lose £12 million in revenue this year, the Dean, the Very Revd Dr David Hoyle, told the BBC on Sunday.

More than 90 per cent of the Abbey’s income comes from the entrance fee. The Abbey closed its doors on 20 March, reopening them on 11 July but for restricted num­bers.

The Dean does not expect traffic to return to pre-pandemic levels for five years, and another loss of between £9 million and £12 million is predicted for next year. As a royal peculiar, the Abbey is not eligible for funding from the Church Commissioners.

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