Lincoln Cathedral faces job cuts over Covid shutdown

Lincoln Cathderal is expected to reopen to visitors soon

A cathedral is to reduce staff numbers following a "strain on finances" caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Lincoln Cathedral is seeking voluntary redundancies or a reduction in hours amongst its 120 workers.

A drop in visitor numbers and the cancellation of events due to Covid 19 restrictions had seen its income fall substantially, the church said.

There is no figure for the number of job cuts and the cathedral said it hoped to avoid compulsory redundancies.

A spokeswoman said it had been "an exceptionally difficult decision to take".

"Following three months of closure, and with the additional safety and social distancing measures in place, visitor numbers are not expected to return to their usual levels in the near future, placing further strain on finances," the statement said.

"It is currently not possible to run events, which are a significant source of income, and fundraising and collection contributions have also fallen substantially.

"There has been, and continues to be, a significant amount of work taking place to find alternative funding options and income streams.

"However, while these will mitigate shortfalls in some areas, it is not possible to maintain our previous staffing structure."

According to last year's accounts, the cathedral raised more than £1.5m from visitors and hosting events.

Services restarted on 5 July and general visits are expected to recommence soon.