The National Trust has been accused of “going in the wrong direction” after a report accused the Trust of an “abuse of power and a subversion of democracy” over changes to its voting system.
A report, named National Distrust: The End of Democracy in the National Trust, identified recent changes as areas of concern.
It comes after the charity was accused of disrespecting grassroots activists by making it harder to oppose its preferred policy direction.
During its annual general meeting, a “quick vote” system was used to approve its annual report and choice of trustees in one click.
The National Trust has been accused of “going in the wrong direction” after a report accused the Trust of an “abuse of power and a subversion of democracy” over changes to its voting system
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However, it appears to take significantly longer to select alternative options.
The system was allegedly introduced in 2022 “without consultation”.
Its former chairman, Sir William Proby said he had “been reluctant to criticise my successors” but added there were “serious flaws” in the way that the organisation was being run.
“The National Trust has always attracted controversy. This is because of its importance in our national life and the passion that so many people feel for what it does,” Proby told the Telegraph.
“This is healthy and should be welcomed by the management and board of trustees. A truly democratic structure allows these issues to be debated, voted on, and the organisation can move on.
“Stifling dissent will only lead to a running sore of disaffected members outside the organisation, which inevitably will damage this great institution.”
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The report, by Zewditu Gebreyohanes – a senior researcher at the Legatum Institute think tank – calls for ministers to initiate legislation to “prohibit all anti-democratic measures” and for the Charity Commission to open an inquiry.
The report said: “If a nation’s incumbent political party were in charge of drawing up ballot forms and introduced a voting option at the top of the form with the option for members to vote in line with the Government’s recommendations, the public would likely recognise this as a significant abuse of power and a subversion of democracy.
“It is equally undemocratic for the National Trust to resort to such tactics.”
The trust has been accused of making the democratic process a “rubber-stamping exercise”.
However, the Trust has denied the claim saying it needed to modernise to protect the nation’s heritage “for everyone, forever”.
The trust has been accused of making the democratic process a “rubber-stamping exercise”
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A spokesman for the Trust said: “The National Trust is an independent charity, regulated – like all UK charities – by the Charity Commission.
“We have open and democratic governance processes and are accountable both to our regulators and to our members.
“Our members firmly rejected a resolution suggesting government oversight in our work via an ombudsman at our AGM in 2022.
‘Quick vote’ was introduced following advice from our independent election services provider that it is standard practice for large membership bodies.
“We will continue to take advice on what is standard electoral practice from accountable, regulated institutions that are experts in this field, and which have their own transparent systems of governance.”
Source Agencies
