Stay on removing statue
THE City of London’s statue of an 18th century slave-owning former mayor has won a stay of execution after representatives decided to halt plans for its removal to reconsider all options.
A committee of City representatives agreed in January to remove the statue of William Beckford from its Guildhall home as part of a wider debate about how Britain remembers and represents history, following last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Beckford was twice Lord Mayor of London in the 18th century and had plantations in Jamaica with slaves. The same committee agreed last Thursday (18) to take a step back and halt the removal plans, two City councillors said on Monday (22).
Instead, a working group will evaluate all options by September, with the final decision taken by full council, chief commoner (senior councillor) Brian Mooney said. “There are various options – do nothing, remove it, or a middle way such as contextualising it by having some sort of board,” added councillor Oliver Lodge.
The U-turn came after secretary of state for communities and local government, Robert Jenrick, said contested heritage should be retained and explained.
A CHARITY, founded by Morningstar Pharmaceuticals’ owner Dr Nik Kotecha and his wife Moni, has donated £500,000 to help hundreds of thousands of people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in India.
Randal Charitable Foundation’s donation to the British Asian Trust’s Covid-19 Emergency Appeal helped saved more than 137,000 lives with emergency kits between June and November 2020.
Facilitated by local non-governmental organisations – Goonj and Jan Sahas – the charity provided more than 27,500 families devastated by the impact of the pandemic across 15 Indian states with ration kits that included essentials like pulses, rice or flour, oil and vegetables.
“This is a good news story in the midst of this devastating virus with its unprecedented long-term effects on individuals, families and economies, said Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the British Asian Trust. “The generosity of the Randal Charitable Foundation and dedication of its founding trustees Dr Nik and Moni Kotecha, together with the skills of our partners on the ground, shows what can be achieved at pace and through collaboration. This is a fantastic example of focused action by members of the British Asian community to support those most in need. We are grateful for the impact it has enabled.”
Dr Kotecha said: “We wanted to address the challenges in India as the early stages of the pandemic unfolded, with millions suddenly without jobs, security or any source of income.
“It is fantastic to have worked with our trusted partner the British Asian Trust and through amazing organisations on the ground.”