ITFS commented on the inexplicable nature of the Trust’s financial dealings. NTS management may consider ordinary members and Trustees too dim to understand such grand financial machinations. However, if it is financially justified to invest in a B&Q store in Dewsbury, why was it not beneficial to  invest in Charlotte Square? Indeed, at Charlotte Square the NTS had the benefit of a £7m perpetual interest-free loan and there’s no rule to say that the Trust can’t invest in its own properties for a proper return.

The ITFS Motion for the AGM states: “Transparency and accountability to the membership are not optional.” We hope those attending the AGM will take the opportunity to express their views

An NTS representative said: “There is nothing in the (Reid) report about redundancies. It says we should carry out a property audit, which we have already started. It will be ready for next year’s AGM. The report doesn’t recommend selling any heritage properties. It’s not about selling, it’s about changing management.”

Questions like this need to be asked and we urge our supporters to contact us with particular concerns that can be raised in advance of the AGM on 25th Sept. Are you concerned about missing items at a particular property? Do you have issues about specific management shortcomings?

We offer the Forum on this website as a convenient way to stimulate discussion or you can email or contact us through the PO Box number below

Having received more than sufficient signatures to submit the Motion before today’s deadline, we are now assured of a constitutional platform for discussion to address the unresolved issues we raised.

In four days we have been able to motivate Members to support the proposal and, although further signatures are no longer required, we welcome any comments either on this website Forum, our Facebook page, or by e-mail

On 28th April we wrote to Mr Reid:
‘When you invited us for discussions some months ago, we discussed the possible problem of the review conclusions becoming available for scrutiny after the current deadline of 1st week in May for Motions for the AGM at end-September 2010.
You took this on board; however slippage, of one month, indicates any contemplated motions for the AGM in September 2010 may be quite difficult to frame in a meaningful way, and to receive ‘acceptance’ for inclusion at the AGM?
There has been no formal statement to the membership, so members may then be deprived of their current constitutional rights?
This is a matter which the Council, Board and Chief Executive should have already discussed and minuted their ‘decisions’.
To avoid later recriminations, a copy of this letter is being sent to the Chief Executive, as a matter of urgency’

As of today (4th May) ITFS has not received any acknowledgement from either Mr Reid or the Chief Executive.

To safeguard members’ rights to a debate at the AGM, we have framed the following motion which we hope concerned members may feel able to sign:

Transparency and accountability to the membership are not optional.

We therefore propose:

A requirement that volunteer guides and local membership, involved in the support of properties, must be actively consulted and heeded by the Council and Executive staff

That their essential contribution be specifically extended by the inclusion of young members

That the co-operation of the Scottish Government Minister for Education be invited to support the involvement of youth within the NTS properties

We also reaffirm our 2009 AGM call for a Business Plan for each property

As reported in The Courier the NTS confirmed yesterday that ‘ it will open on selected dates during this year’s visitor season, beginning with Easter weekend, and that its use as a venue for hospitality and functions is to be promoted.’

George Reid is quoted saying the NTS is “over-governed and undermanaged”. In an open letter to all members he insists there was no question of the organisation “going bust” but admitted there were “a large number of strategic questions” over its future.

George Reid writes: “Is the trust too centralist? If the right conservation safeguards are in place, may it not be time to give individual managers and properties more freedom?

“Is there any other charity of the trust’s size with two centres of authority, the board and the council, and almost 200 people involved if all committees, panels and advisers are included? How much does this contribute to duplication, bureaucracy, and what many call a ‘culture of secrecy’?”

In Trust for Scotland commented:
“We welcome the appointment of Dick Balharry at an extremely important time for the NTS. The resignation of Shonaig Macpherson today breaks one link with the discredited management policies that contributed to the current crisis. It is necessary to rebuild the Trust’s governance structure from the top down and we are hopeful that George Reid’s review will learn from past mistakes. We wish Dick Balharry success in this very important role and look forward to an improvement in communication with NTS members”

For Argyll, the online newspaper which has followed the NTS story closely commented:
‘On agreeing today to act as interim Chair until a permanent Chair is appointed, (Dick Balharry) said, with wonderful ambiguity: ‘Following in the footsteps of our outgoing Chairman is not going to be an easy task’.

If you are unable to attend these meetings you can join the On-line Focus Group here

In an interview on the Politics Show (BBC1 17th January) George Reid said “At the end of the day, it’s not a National Trust issue, it’s a Scottish issue, because it’s our land, it’s our built and cultural heritage that gives all Scots a sense of place, time and identity.” The package also featured the activities of the local group formed to stop the closure of  Inveresk Gardens.