National Trust freezes recruitment after £10m jump in costs

Conservation charity is also pausing some projects because of labour costs stemming from the autumn budget

The National Trust has frozen all but essential recruitment and is pausing some projects as it faces a 10m jump in labour costs this year as a result of higher employment costs stemming from last autumn's budget.

The conservation charity, which looks after 500 historic houses, castles, parks and gardens, as well as 780 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of land, said the extra costs were the result of changes to employers' national insurance contributions and an increase in the legal minimum wage, which both come into force next month.