National Trust coffers swell by £140m as hundreds of jobs cut

The Times reported on Restore Trust’s mission in an article on 17 September 2022 about National Trust job cuts, despite rising income. Read an excerpt below.

The National Trust’s income has surged by almost £140 million, amid pandemic job cuts and claims that its own workers are having to use food banks.

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The trust is facing criticism of its policies at its annual general meeting in November. Members will be asked whether they “deplore” the charity’s participation in Pride events. On its website the trust is unequivocal in its support for the LGBTQ community and says that Pride marches are “an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come as a society and acknowledge the work still to be done”.

Members will also vote on whether the trust’s chairman should be allowed to cast proxy votes, following claims that the process is not democratic and is being used to “distort” the outcome.

The trust is calling on its supporters to vote both resolutions down, saying that the one on Pride “runs counter to our ethos” and that the trust is “for everyone”.

In recent years the charity has made changes that critics have branded “woke”, including adding Winston Churchill’s home to a list of buildings linked to slavery and colonialism.

The Restore Trust, a pressure group of members, was established to remind the charity of its original purpose of protecting the nation’s heritage, under the slogan: “Get the National Trust back to its real mission.”