A REPORT on the first phase of a review of statues and monuments across the Bradford District will be discussed at a meeting of the council’s executive on December 1.

An external steering group was established under the direction of independent chair, Charles Dacres who is also Director of the Bradford Hate Crime Alliance. The Steering Group is made up of local people who are representatives of the diverse communities across the Bradford District, the University, historical and educational organisations, and younger people.

The first stage of the review has now been completed, it involved an audit of statues and monuments across the district and it also carried out research to identify any links to slavery and colonialism.

The review has not uncovered any direct local links to slavery or slave ownership among the district’s most famous historical figures such as Titus Salt, Joseph Lister or William Forster. However, the wealth produced through slavery funded key aspects of technology in the industrial revolution and so forms the backdrop to our local story and should be recognised.

The review has also uncovered more about the important contributions that black people have made to the Bradford district that needs to be highlighted and celebrated. The Council said the review has painted a picture of Bradford as a stronghold of non-conformist philanthropists, many of whom were abolitionists. It also said it is a place that has produced examples of pioneering work in terms of diversity that its present day citizens can be proud of.

In common with the rest of the country, the review has recognised that much of the wealth of individual families, businesses, institutions and the monarchy during Britain’s colonial period is reflected in Bradford’s history and in the buildings and monuments to ‘famous’ people across the district.

The report was commissioned by the Leader of Bradford Council, Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, in June 2020 and the final report of the project is expected to be presented to Executive in Summer 2021, following completion of phase two, which will focus on uncovering the ‘untold’ stories from our diverse communities that have helped shape the district.

The review does not recommend removing any existing statues or monuments in the district. But it does recommend a number of initiatives to improve understanding of our collective history and to better recognise the role of the diverse communities and individuals across the district.

It also recommends that opportunities for additional funding be explored to provide for educational materials to help work with schools and communities and the Council’s libraries and museum services.

It also recommends that every opportunity is taken to celebrate the lives of the district’s diverse minority ethnic communities and strengthen the co-ordination of Black History Month and other relevant cultural calendar events, ensuring that stories from the district’s diverse communities are told.

Further recommendations seek to ensure that any Bradford Council policies for commissioning new statues and monuments, agreeing street and building names and honouring individuals are diverse and inclusive.

Charles Dacres, independent chair of the review, said: “This is important work; statues and monuments are highly visible local landmarks that both local residents and visitors recognise as key symbols of our District’s heritage and values. We often take them for granted as part of our everyday local landscapes, but this review has allowed us the opportunity to reflect on what and who our local monuments represent. It has also given us the opportunity to challenge and question whether they are appropriate in the context of our proud and diverse district and to start to consider how we would want to represent our district’s heritage and values for the future.”