The business may genuinely need fewer jobs. That does not end the question of why you were selected.
Where similar roles are being reduced, employers should consider a fair selection pool, consult on selection criteria and apply them consistently. If a whole distinct role disappears, a scoring pool may not be needed. Acas says criteria should be as objective and measurable as possible: relevant skills, recorded performance, accurate attendance and disciplinary records are examples. Length of service is not automatically a safe or required criterion; it can have an age impact. Compare your score against documented evidence, rather than assuming a disappointing score proves the result was fixed.
Selecting someone because of a protected characteristic, protected leave, trade union activity or a protected whistleblowing disclosure may be unlawful. Disability-, pregnancy- and maternity-related absence should not be counted in attendance scoring. People who are pregnant or recently returned from specified family leave may also have priority for suitable alternative vacancies; this is different from an absolute ban on redundancy.
Ask the employer for the pool, criteria, weightings, your score and the evidence used, and raise discrepancies in consultation or appeal. A subject access request (SAR) under UK GDPR can obtain your personal data in scoring records; it does not guarantee every document, third-party data or another person's full scores. It is usually free and organisations normally have one month to respond, subject to applicable rules and extensions. A SAR is not a reason to delay an appeal or tribunal action.
Appeal in writing under the employer's procedure, explaining specific problems and what correction you want. If a claim might be needed in Great Britain, contact Acas for early conciliation: most unfair dismissal and discrimination claims have a time limit of three months less one day from the relevant dismissal or act. Starting early conciliation in time affects the calculation, but an internal appeal or SAR does not stop the clock. Ordinary unfair dismissal generally requires two years' service as at September 2026; some automatically unfair dismissal and discrimination claims do not. Different claims can have different deadlines. Northern Ireland uses different procedures and its Labour Relations Agency (LRA).
Free guides and letter templates: https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/action-plan and https://myredundancyrights.co.uk/my-rights