Kensington and Chelsea Council has approved 116 voluntary redundancies as part of its Business Efficiency and Voluntary Redundancy Scheme (BEVR) 2025-26, aimed at addressing financial pressures and mitigating the need for compulsory redundancies.
The scheme is part of a wider Savings and Transformation Programme. While the BEVR scheme aims to achieve approximately £4.5 million in savings, a detailed breakdown of this target across different departments or initiatives is not available.
The decision was noted at the Administration Committee meeting on 17 November 2025, where members reviewed the outcomes of the scheme.
Following an application window that ran from 17 July to 4 September 2025, the Corporate Panel, chaired by Chief Executive Maxine Holdsworth and consisting of the council's Executive Management Team, the Director of Financial Management, and the Director of HR and OD, considered a total of 171 applications.
According to the Business Efficiency and Voluntary Redundancy Scheme 2025-26 - Update report, the total staff cost saving is calculated at £4,795,641, with £3,906,478 attributable to the general fund.
At the meeting, Maxine Holdsworth, Chief Executive, reported that 181 applications had been received as at the extended closing date, Friday 4 September. In response to questions, including from Jackie Nield, a representative of the GMB union, the Chief Executive explained that the directorate and corporate panels would consider all applications and apply a fair and consistent approach, but that not every application could be approved. However, where an application is refused, reasons will be given. Redundancies for postholders in certain key roles are unlikely to be accepted. The specific 'key roles' for which redundancies are unlikely to be accepted were not identified in the meeting information. The current assumption is that all those whose applications are successful will leave the organisation by 31 March 2026 and that exit interviews would be encouraged, so as to capture important knowledge.
Employees whose applications were approved received a formal offer of voluntary redundancy on 6 November 2025. If accepted, these employees will leave the council by March 2026.
