National Trust backs climate-focused bank tender — SkimNews
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- National Trust members passed a board-backed resolution 53,256 to 4,094 at Saturday’s annual general meeting, requiring a competitive banking tender that tests candidates on biodiversity and the human-induced climate crisis.
- National Trust trustees said the tender must remain open to major UK clearing banks, arguing that no specialist ethical lender has the cash handling, lending capacity, payments infrastructure and operational scale required for a charity of its size and complexity.
- National Trust insiders suggested the tendering process will not take place for at least a year, despite the resolution passing on Saturday.
- Barclays said it facilitated more than $300bn (£225bn) of sustainable and transition finance over three years, including billions for UK clean-energy projects and millions invested in climate tech.
- Drew James said Barclays’ latest annual report allows fossil-fuel entities to access sustainable finance when money is not directly designated for oil and gas, so a switch from tar sands to natural gas can qualify despite increased emissions.
- Dunwich Heath lost 104 hectares of ancient heathland to a July wildfire, with campaigners estimating the damage would take 25 years to recover.
- Cornelia van der Poll, chair of Restore Trust, called the vote a distraction from the National Trust’s charitable purpose of properly maintaining the historic buildings and countryside in its care.
Why it matters: Barclays faces a formal contest for a relationship campaigners say conflicts with the National Trust’s conservation mission, with 53,256 votes cast in favor at the AGM. Because major UK clearing banks remain eligible and insiders estimate the tendering process will not take place for at least a year, the vote changes selection criteria rather than immediately displacing the incumbent.
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