Royal Armouries chiefs in talks on job losses

A month on from the news in the Government's spending review, a management statement said: "Now these grant reductions have been confirmed, the Royal Armouries has a statutory duty to balance its books and this will require substantial savings to be made over the next four years. Fifty-four per cent of the RA budget is comprised of staffing and salary costs. As a result, the RA is proposing to reorganise its staffing structure. We are speaking to potentially affected staff."

The Armouries employs 193 people across three sites, including the White Tower at the Tower of London and Fort Nelson in Hampshire, but 152 of them are based at Clarence Dock in Leeds.

The catering and corporate hire business at the Leeds site should not be affected by any redundancies, as it is run by a private contractor.

The Master of the Royal Armouries, Jonathon Riley, said: "Ironically, this year we are seeing the highest visitor numbers since we opened in Leeds. These are difficult times for everyone but the museum has survived in some form for 900 years and we will continue to protect and display this incredible collection. We know the public will support us."