Aberdeenshire Council is severing links with a controversial £1.6 million fund left behind by a slave trader.
James Dick, who died in 1828, made his fortune selling enslaved Africans to Jamaican plantation owners.
For almost two centuries, the cash has gone towards teacher training in Moray and the north-east.
It was only last year that the source of the Dick Bequest was uncovered by historians.
Aberdeenshire Council to ‘decisively distance’ itself from Dick Bequest
Since then, there have been mounting calls for the fund to be disbanded, with the money going to children in Jamaica.
Responding to the calls for the north-east to “decisively distance” itself from the “direct legacy of slavery”, Aberdeenshire councillors yesterday made their first move towards severing the link.
In previous years, during the first meeting of the term, two councillors have been put forward to join the board.
Yesterday, members decided not to nominate anyone.
‘Perhaps it’s time to wind it up…’
Ellon councillor, Isobel Davidson, has been on the board for the past two council terms.
And it was Ms Davidson who led the calls to step away from the Dick Bequest – while seeking assurances the region’s teaching staff wouldn’t suffer.
She said: “Most of the money from the slave trade came back to the UK and was spent on buildings or land.
“This is unique because it’s a fund.
“It may seem a little unfair, but I think it has probably come to the end of its time.
“Perhaps it is time to wind it up.”
Education boss ‘discouraged’ applications from teachers
The cash is overseen by 10 governors who meet at least twice a year to assess
grant applications and hand out funds to teachers.
Yesterday’s decision came after council officers explained how the authority has dealt with the situation since the truth emerged.
A report that went before councillors said education boss Laurence Findlay had “discouraged” Aberdeenshire teachers from applying for funding.
How has Dick Bequest helped?
A post on Facebook from Banff Academy, preceding the revelations about the fund, illustrated the good to come from it.
The school announced that faculty head of design and technology, Caroline McFarlane, had been awarded a grant to study for a doctorate in education at Strathclyde University.
‘A shame’ for Aberdeenshire teachers to miss out on training funds
And Ms Davidson is eager that other teachers do not lose out as a result of Aberdeenshire Council walking away from the Dick Bequest.
She said: “I want to seek assurances that the courses staff were able to fund through the Dick Bequest would still be available through the council, in another way.
“It would be a shame for teachers not to have that advantage any more.”
Council chief executive Jim Savege said he would “look to ensure” that cash is made available to teachers seeking additional training.
“For over a year the governors of the Dick Bequest have been fully aware that they manage a fund derived from the exploitation and misery of enslaved Africans" said David Alston.https://t.co/cPpDa8cVI4
— The Press & Journal (@pressjournal) April 27, 2022
What now after Aberdeenshire Council cuts Dick Bequest ties?
Now that Aberdeenshire Council has voted against appointing its two trustees, that does not necessarily rule out any further local involvement.
Two replacements could be found elsewhere in the area, and Ms Davidson indicated the other governors “didn’t agree” it should be wound up.
The rest of the group of 10 are put forward by Aberdeen University and a group of lawyers known as the Society of Writers to the Signet.
Historians David Alston and Donald Morrison first exposed how James Dick made his fortune in the Caribbean,
They hope for charity regulators to step in and find a solution for the future use of the money, such as repatriating it to Jamaica.
Conversation