Job threat at architecture centre

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Jobs are under threat at Scotland's centre for architecture and design after it failed to meet income targets.

BBC Scotland understands staff at The Lighthouse in Glasgow were told on Wednesday of a plan which could see 44 of its 57 staff being made redundant.

A consultation will begin next week which will examine whether there are any ways of reducing the redundancies.

A spokeswoman for the Lighthouse said no staff had yet been given redundancy notices.

The Lighthouse was opened in July 1999 by The Queen after a £13m conversion of Charles Rennie Mackintosh's derelict 1895 Glasgow Herald newspaper office into Scotland's first dedicated national centre for architecture and design.

Last year it was bailed out by Glasgow City Council, who gave it a £50,000 increase in core funding along with a £250,000 loan to clear its then-£300,000 deficit and help to increase its commercial revenue.

'Vital resource'

Eleanor McAllister, chairwoman of The Lighthouse Trust, said on Thursday: "Due to the impact of the deepening economic crisis on commercial revenues and the tightening of trusts and foundation grants, income targets are currently not being met.

"In the light of this the board of the Lighthouse Trust has overseen a root and branch review of all areas of the organisation's operation in order to ensure that it can deliver its core business within a balanced budget, continue to provide a vital resource for the nation's architecture and design communities and increase access to this important visitor attraction for Glaswegians and tourists."

She added that a proposed restructure of the business, with a focus on services and activities that have guaranteed funding, has now been put out to consultation.

Once the process is completed a final version of the business restructure will be implemented, Ms McAllister said.

The Lighthouse Trust has an annual turnover of £2.5m, of which about £1m comes from government grants.