JLR plans to cut about 4,000 non-production roles over two years. What ministers told MPs, the £500,000 WMCA jobs offer and the redundancy rules that apply.

Jaguar Land Rover plans to cut approximately 4,000 jobs over the next two years. The company has said production staff will not be affected, so the cuts fall on salaried and management roles.

That is how the business minister, Blair McDougall, set it out in the House of Commons on Wednesday 9 September. He said JLR “now intends to consult on the job losses that are planned over the next two years” as part of a £1.7 billion cost-saving effort (Hansard, Jaguar Land Rover: Redundancies, 9 September 2026).

JLR has not said how many of the roles are at its Lode Lane plant in Solihull. The council leader and two of the MPs whose seats take in the borough have responded.

What has been confirmed so far

  • About 4,000 roles, over two years, according to the minister’s statement.
  • Not production staff. The minister said JLR “has been very clear, publicly and in private to us and to the unions, that the production staff are not going to be impacted”.
  • Consultation first. The Business Secretary and the minister met JLR and the Unite general secretary on 9 September. The minister said they discussed “the phasing of those changes, how they interact with the roll-out of the new models and when those job losses would kick in”.
  • The savings target was already public. JLR’s first-quarter results on 13 August said operating efficiencies would “begin to deliver the £1.7bn savings anticipated over two years”, with “more detail” to follow at its next quarterly results (JLR, Q1 FY27 results).

Those results showed the pressure. Revenue for April to June was £6.0 billion, down 9.6% on a year earlier. Profit before tax and exceptional items was £109 million, down 68.9%.

JLR has not published a breakdown of the cuts by site or by department on its own newsroom. We will not repeat unconfirmed figures for Solihull until it does.

The £500,000 support package

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker announced a £500,000 employment support package on Monday 7 September (West Midlands Combined Authority).

It is not a payment to workers. It is a fund for services for JLR staff who take voluntary redundancy. The combined authority says it will:

  • help people find new jobs
  • connect them with employers
  • provide skills and careers support, including filling “any gaps in their skill set”

“That half a million-pound package is the starting point, not the limit of our support,” the mayor said. The combined authority says it is working with the Department for Work and Pensions, local councils and employers on the offer.

JLR staff who think they are at risk can register their interest on the WMCA’s JLR support page. The form asks for your current area of work and what you would like to move into.

What Solihull’s leaders have said

Councillor Karen Grinsell, Leader of Solihull Council, used her weekly column on Friday 11 September to respond (Solihull Council).

“I would urge JLR to fully consider the impact on our residents and our community,” she wrote. “If job cuts are impossible to avoid due to the challenging market conditions, I would hope that they can be managed through voluntary redundancy.”

She said the council has employment and training support for any affected residents, “whether they’re looking to get a new job, re-train or start their own business”. She added that the council “will also support businesses in the supply chain which may be impacted”.

Two MPs whose constituencies take in the borough spoke in the Commons debate.

Saqib Bhatti, Conservative MP for Meriden and Solihull East, said: “In my constituency we have Jaguar Land Rover Solihull.” He blamed “high levels of red tape owing to the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the national insurance rises”. The minister replied that the government was acting to bring energy costs “roughly to the European average”.

Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North, called the cuts “a body blow for workers, families and communities across the west midlands”. He asked the minister to back the mayor with more money “if more is needed”.

The MP for Birmingham Erdington, Paulette Hamilton, asked about the future of JLR’s Castle Bromwich site, which is in her Birmingham constituency rather than in Solihull borough. The minister did not give a site-by-site answer.

What it means for you

Your legal minimum if you are made redundant Statutory redundancy rules for England. Pay after two years' service: half a week's pay for each full year under 22, one week's pay for each full year aged 22 to 40, one and a half weeks' pay for each full year aged 41 or over. Service capped at 20 years, weekly pay capped at 751 pounds, maximum statutory payment 22,530 pounds for redundancies on or after 6 April 2026. Collective consultation for 100 or more redundancies must start at least 45 days before dismissals. Statutory notice is one week per year between 2 and 12 years, and 12 weeks after 12 years. The Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service can help from the moment you suspect redundancy to 13 weeks after it. Source: GOV.UK, Redundancy: your rights. Your legal minimum if you are made redundant Statutory rules. Your JLR contract or a negotiated scheme may give more, never less. Statutory redundancy pay, after 2 years' service Each full year worked under age 22 half a week's pay Each full year worked aged 22 to 40 one week's pay Each full year worked aged 41 or over one and a half weeks' pay Caps from 6 April 2026: 20 years' service, weekly pay £751, maximum payment £22,530 Consultation 45 days minimum before dismissals when 100 or more are proposed Notice 12 weeks after 12 years or more; one week a year from 2 to 12 Rapid Response Service 13 weeks help runs from the moment you suspect redundancy to 13 weeks after Statutory pay applies to employees with 2 years' continuous service. Apply within 6 months of your job ending. Source: GOV.UK, Redundancy: your rights (statutory redundancy pay, notice periods, consultation, help finding a new job). Graphic by The Solihull Post
The statutory floor. A voluntary redundancy offer is usually negotiated above it, so compare any figure you are given against these numbers.

If you work at JLR in a salaried or management role:

  • Know the statutory floor. After two years’ service you are normally owed half a week’s pay for each full year under 22, one week’s pay for each year aged 22 to 40, and one and a half weeks’ pay for each year aged 41 or over (GOV.UK, statutory redundancy pay). Service is capped at 20 years. For redundancies on or after 6 April 2026, weekly pay is capped at £751 and the maximum statutory payment is £22,530.
  • Consultation comes first. Where an employer proposes 100 or more redundancies, collective consultation must start at least 45 days before any dismissal takes effect. It runs through a union rep or an elected employee rep (GOV.UK, consultation).
  • Check your notice. The statutory minimum is one week for each year between two and 12 years, and 12 weeks after 12 years or more. Your contract may give more, but not less (GOV.UK, notice periods).
  • Get help before you leave. The Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service helps with CVs, job searches, training and costs such as travel and childcare. You can contact it if you suspect you will be made redundant, during notice, or up to 13 weeks afterwards, at rrs.enquiries@dwp.gov.uk (GOV.UK, get help finding a new job).
  • Be wary of pension transfer approaches. Coventry East MP Mary Creagh warned in the debate that after past factory closures, workers “were mis-sold their pension”. The minister said he would raise it with the regulators.

If you run a business that supplies JLR: the council leader has promised support for supply chain firms, and the minister told MPs that £50 million “has been devolved to the mayor in the west midlands to work on those supply-chain resiliences”. Solihull Council’s Employment and Skills team is the local starting point for both residents and employers.

If you live in the borough: we have covered the local jobs picture already, including the rise in young people claiming unemployment benefits in Solihull’s under-25 claimant count and the funded Jobs Guarantee placements for young claimants.

What happens next

JLR has said more detail on its savings will come with its second-quarter results. Consultation with unions will set when the job losses start. We will report the Solihull figures if and when the company publishes them.

Sources