Charity that helped Grenfell victims 'institutionally racist', review says

The Westway Trust was part of the "collective response" in aftermath of the Grenfell fire in 2017

A west London charity that supported Grenfell Tower fire victims has been and remains institutionally racist, a review has found.

The Westway Trust, which manages land under the Westway road for the local community, commissioned a review in 2018 over allegations of racism.

The review found the trust had a "legacy of institutional racism" and should make a formal public apology.

The charity said it apologised "to our entire community".

The Westway Trust was created nearly 50 years ago to manage the 23 acres (9.3 hectares) of space under the elevated trunk road in west London.

According to the charity's website, it was part of the "collective response" in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people.

The organisation commissioned the review after acknowledging "serious" allegations of institutional racism had been made over several decades.

The trust was created nearly 50 years ago to manage the land around the Westway

The report by the Tutu Foundation, an organisation that provides mediation services, found that, given all the evidence, the trust "has been and remains institutionally racist".

"The legacy of institutional racism lives within the organisation in terms of the perceptions and relations with the African Caribbean community, which has led to a continuing mistrust.

"The trust has failed to understand, identify and address racial disparity in terms of key functions including in relation to service delivery and employment," the review said.

It added the charity had "lost sight of the reason for its establishment and early focus on community and inclusivity", while anyone who had "sounded the alarm" about issues over the years had been ignored or silenced.

The review recommended a "reparatory justice approach" should be taken by the charity, which could include the offer of compensation to affected communities.

It also recommended the creation of a centre for civil rights and culture, which it said could be "a way for the rich history of the area to be preserved and curated for future generations".

The trust said it accepted the report's recommendations, adding that it wanted to be "a truly inclusive organisation that is a beacon of good practice".

Chair of trustees Toby Laurent Belson said trustees would now "take the organisation through the changes necessary to bring about reparative and restorative justice".

"Those changes will take time," he said. "We look ahead to working with and representing our community as never before, so that in time we may be the organisation our community deserves."