Report says William Beckford statue should stay

A statue of 18th century slave-owning former Lord Mayor William Beckford should remain in the City of London's Guildhall headquarters, a report has recommended, six months after a committee agreed to remove it.

The statue should be accompanied by a plaque explaining Beckford's links to the slave trade, said the report, which was published on the City's website on Thursday (30).

The City looked at its historic links to slavery following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year and Black Lives Matter protests.

Elected representatives for the City of London municipal authority for the "Square Mile" financial district agreed in January to remove statues of Beckford, who had plantations with African slaves in Jamaica, and of former businessman John Cass, who was also involved in the slave trade.

But in March, they set up a working group to consider all options.

The working group has recommended that both statues be retained "with explanatory plaques or notices be placed alongside them in order to provide contextual information".

It recommended creating bursaries for local Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAM) people to become City guides and supporting a "Black Pound Day".

The council will discuss the report on Oct. 7.

Consultations showed "low levels of demand" for removing the statutes, the report said.

"The City Corporation is united in its commitment to equality, inclusivity and diversity and to tackling slavery and racism in all its forms," the report said.

The Guildhall is a listed building and any alterations require planning permission.

The government, which can veto planning applications, has told the City it opposes removing contested statutes, calling for them to be retained and explained to the public.

(Reuters)