Moray Council will debate severing ties with the controversial Dick Bequest next week due to its links with the slave trade.
The £1.8 million fund was established almost 200 years ago following the death of Forres-born merchant James Dick to provide grants to teachers and schools across the north-east.
However, the money and the grants from it have recently attracted controversy due to the money from it being directly traced back to the Caribbean slave trade.
There have been calls to return the money due to Jamaica following the revelations.
The Press & Journal’s politics podcast, The Stooshie, examined the issue about what should happen next with the fund in a recent episode.
What happens next with Dick Bequest?
The future of the fund has already been thrown into doubt after groups confirmed they would no longer appoint trustees to it to act as their representatives.
Extensive research discovered Mr Dick had a business partnership with Robert Milligan, whose statue was removed by the Museum of London due to his links with slavery.
Aberdeen University and the Society of Writers (WS Society) have already pulled out of the bequest.
Previously, 10 governors were appointed to oversee the fund with five from the WS Society, two from Aberdeen University and three put forward from Aberdeenshire and Moray councils.
Next week Moray Council will discuss withdrawing their own membership after a motion was tabled by SNP councillors Jérémie Fernandes and John Stuart.
The proposals call for the local authority to revoke its membership from the bequest’s board and reiterate their request that it be wound up.
Mr Fernandes said: “Cutting ties with the trust and revoking the appointment is the right thing to do. The trust is already dead. It cannot operate with only two trustees.
“I hear concerns about how we will replace the fund. This question is neither here nor there, because the money was never ours to spend in the first place.
“It is morally wrong for any organisation to benefit from the profits of slavery and I know that many councillors are uncomfortable with Moray Council keeping ties with the Dick Bequest.”
Moray Council previously debated its future membership of the Dick Bequest in October 2021.
At the time, members agreed to lobby the bequest’s governors and the Scottish Government to request that the fund be redirected to Jamaica.
However, councillors also agreed to continue nominating a representative to the board until it is wound up.
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