Restore Trust

Restore Trust is a British heritage advocacy group which seeks to voice the concerns of supporters and friends of the National Trust over its perceived left-wing politicisation.[1][2] The group has aimed to bring resolutions to the National Trust AGM in an effort to "restore the trust to its core purpose",[1] and has criticised the National Trust's work on rewilding and social inclusion.[3] To this end they have encouraged disaffected members to renew their membership in order to vote on resolutions to effect change.[1]

Restore Trust
Named afterNational Trust
TypeAdvocacy group
PurposeCampaigning against changes to visitor experiences at National Trust properties
Region served
England and Wales
Websitewww.restoretrust.org.uk

The group's directors include Zewditu Gebreyohanes and Neil Record, chairman of the right-wing think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs.[4]

Campaigns

Restore Trust focuses on a number of specific issues, among them:[5]

  • The presentation of historic buildings, collections, gardens and countryside to the public;
  • Opposing the introduction of what it terms "ephemeral trends" and "political activism" to visitor experiences (in particular the presentation of colonialism and slavery)
  • The leadership of the National Trust;
  • Proposed closures of historic properties and conversion to holiday lets;
  • Sidelining of historical specialists;
  • Issues relating to specific properties, such as the restoration of Clandon Park House

AGM resolutions

In 2022, Restore Trust attempted to get two members resolutions passed at the National Trust AGM. Firstly, to abolish the Chairman's discretionary proxy vote, and secondly to create an independent office of Ombudsman 'to ensure the national trust remains accountable to its supporters'.[1] Restore Trust also encouraged its supporters to vote for candidates from its proposed list which included historians Jeremy Black, conservative historian and activist Zareer Masani, and Stephen Green of the Christian Voice advocacy group.[3] In response to the campaign, the National Trust's director of communications, Celia Richardson, said that she found the idea of "paid-for canvassing for places on our council" to be a "new and concerning" development.[4]

Restore Trust did not get enough votes at the National Trust's annual general meeting in November 2022 to have its candidates elected, nor to pass its resolution's on the National Trust's governance.[6]

Restore Trust director Zewditu Gebreyohanes blamed this result on the AGM's optional "Quick Vote" system, which allowed voters to cast a single vote agreeing with all preferences of the trustees, rather than voting on each issue separately.[6] Gebreyohanes felt that the option had been introduced "surreptitiously"[6] and claimed that the Quick Vote results had not been made public, a decision that she felt was "suspicious". The National Trust issued a statement saying that the Quick Vote option was introduced at the advice of an independent election services provider and was considered to be "best practice", used by many other member organisations, and had been explained in voting instructions sent to members in the summer.[4]

Criticisms

Restore Trust has attracted critical commentary in the media, and detractors such as the Good Law Project have alleged that Restore Trust is engaged in astroturfing due to hidden connections with political lobbying groups.[4]

References
  1. Gebreyohanes, Zewditu (19 August 2022). "Rejoin the National Trust to save it from wokery". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  2. "About Us". Restore Trust. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  3. Quinn, Ben; Horton, Helena (31 October 2022). "National Trust AGM set for fresh battle over culture wars". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  4. Jansen, Charlotte (6 December 2022). "Is the UK National Trust influenced by a campaign group funded by lobbyists?". Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  5. "Our Campaign". Restore Trust. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  6. Booth, Robert (6 November 2022). "Right-leaning group fails to wrest control of National Trust". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
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