| Restore Trust | |
| Logo Alt: | Restore Trust logo |
| Named After: | National Trust |
| Established: | --> |
| Founders: | --> |
| Type: | Advocacy group |
| Purpose: | Campaigning against changes to visitor experiences at National Trust properties |
| Region Served: | England and Wales |
| Publication: | --> |
Restore Trust is a British political advocacy group which seeks to change policies of the National Trust.[1] [2] The group has aimed to bring resolutions to the National Trust AGM in an effort to restore the trust to what it sees as "its core purpose",[1] and has criticised the National Trust's work on rewilding and social inclusion which Restore Trust's organizers consider to be "woke".[3] They have encouraged their supporters to join the Trust's membership.[1]
The group's directors include Zewditu Gebreyohanes, appointed by Boris Johnson as a trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum,[4] and Neil Record, the chairman of the Institute of Economic Affairs.[5] Gebreyohanes stepped down from her position as director in November 2023 shortly after no Restore Trust candidates were elected or resolutions passed at the Trust's 2023 annual general meeting (AGM); the group's candidates and resolutions had also been rejected at the previous AGM.[6]
Restore Trust focuses on a number of specific issues, among them:[7] [8]
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 historian 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.[5]
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.[10]
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.[10] Gebreyohanes felt that the option had been introduced "surreptitiously"[10] 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.[5]
Gebreyohanes resigned as Restore Trust director in November 2023 shortly after no Restore Trust candidates were elected or resolutions passed at the Trust's 2023 AGM either.[6] [11]
Restore Trust has attracted critical commentary in the news media; critics such as the Good Law Project have alleged that Restore Trust is engaged in astroturfing due to hidden connections with political lobbying groups.[5]