In June 2021, Nottingham Castle Museum reopened as a premier tourist attraction surrounded by excitement and fanfare, after three years of closure and a £30 million renovation.

Now, after only five months, it has been almost run into the ground by poor governance and a series of scandals. Not only is public money and other funding being squandered, but the Castle is failing to serve the people of Nottingham, as is its duty (Some of the background to the many instances of poor governance are detailed at the bottom of this petition). It is time that the current Board of Trustees, including the Chair, step down to allow a Board more reflective of the city's diversity to take over and properly represent us.

We, the people of Nottingham, demand change. Nottingham Castle has made much of this city’s historic struggles, yet it contradicts its own ethos of celebrating people power by silencing dissenting voices, ignoring pleas for help, bullying, and harassing its staff and denying the people of the city an affordable and representative offer. It is time that we stood up to this and demand better.

The problems at Nottingham Castle are many, but all lead back to the poor governance of the Board. In light of this, it is of utmost importance that…

1. Nottingham Castle Trust take responsibility for its severe failings, including the perpetuating of structural racism, and for all Trustees to step down immediately.

We also demand…

2. A diverse, representative Board to include trustees with different backgrounds and perspectives, as well as professional experience in heritage, the arts and community work. It must accurately reflect the wonderful diversity of Nottingham.

3. That National Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, Nottingham City Council, and sponsors of the Trust take a more proactive response to the growing concerns around the governance of Nottingham Castle Trust and stop funding the Trust until the board has been replaced.

4. The appointment of a new CEO and other senior members of staff be undertaken once the new board is in place, and that the appointments are appropriately qualified to work with and for the people of this city.

5. That Nottingham City Council conduct an immediate investigation into the institutional failings at Nottingham Castle and openly publish their findings with a set of immediately actionable recommendations for the wider arts and cultural sector in Nottingham.

6. That Nottingham City Council acknowledge its role in Nottingham Castle Trust’s governance by failing to ensure the governance was diverse and the recruitment of Trustees fair and transparent.

7. Nottingham Castle Trust release an official anti-racist declaration, place anti-racist signage in the museum and online, and for all staff to undertake training on bystander action.

8. That Nottingham Castle Trust provide details of its expenditure on the legal fees it has incurred protecting the reputations of Trustees. The public deserve to see these details published and to know how money, that should be used to serve this city, Is being spent.

Background:

In August, Panya Banjoko spoke out about an incident in which her granddaughters were the victims of a race hate crime at the Castle. Castle staff initially ignored Banjoko’s plea for help before calling her ‘aggressive’ and attempting to kettle her into a corner of the visitor’s centre. A complaint has been made to the Charity Commission by Banjoko about the handling of her complaint and the failure of the Trust to investigate it transparently and speedily. The handling of the incident has done irreparable damage to the Trust’s relationships with communities and partners, and public opinion is at an all-time low.

Sara Blair-Manning, former CEO, alleges bullying and harassment by the board of trustees at Nottingham Castle. Blair-Manning said she had raised concerns about "inappropriate behaviour, including bullying and harassment by trustees towards her and other members of staff and external consultants", as well as issues about governance in 2020 and 2021. When her concerns went unheard, she made a further attempt in July, only to find that she had been relieved of her duties the following month. Employment Judge Rachel Broughton told the hearing a tribunal "is likely to find that this process was unfair.” Blair-Manning is now in the process of pursuing an unfair dismissal claim.

In October, several current and former employees at Nottingham Castle penned an open letter to the Trust claiming that there is an “environment of fear” following the hate incident against Banjoko. The letter spoke of the ongoing issues at the Castle, “no one from the Board of Trustees communicated with staff of colour to ask how they felt or reassured them that they were taking race hate seriously. The subsequent poor handling of the incident, the treatment of Banjoko, and the lack of any formal anti-racist statement have led to an environment of fear, distrust, and extremely low morale among staff of all backgrounds, but particularly those of colour”.

Continued failure to issue any formal external statement or deal with Banjoko’s complaint emboldens racists and means that the Castle is not a safe environment.