By Sybil Cock
The genocide in Gaza has intensified local campaigning around the Palestinian-led Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign. Added to this, the campaign won a substantial victory in the days before the July 2024 election as the outgoing Tory Government could not pursue its anti-boycott legislation because of widespread opposition, including from the PLP.
The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) has for long been a particular target. These funds are locally managed by councils, singly or in consortia. Council pensions committees have an obligation to invest contributions on behalf of scheme members -who may be still at work or retired members living off their pensions.
As a result of multiple Freedom of Information requests, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has recently updated its lgpsdivest.org website. This now shows that 81 LGPS funds have investments in companies complicit in Israel’s violations of Palestinian rights.
These companies produce weapons and military technology used by Israel in its attacks on Palestinians; provide technology and equipment for Israel’s infrastructure of military occupation; or are active in illegal Israeli settlements based on stolen Palestinian land.
For some time, local PSC branches have been advocating, alongside others, particularly trade unions, for the divestment of local pension funds. The genocide has brought this into focus.
In July 2024, the London Borough of Waltham Forest made a clear commitment to divest.
In Tower Hamlets, the Town Hall union UNISON took a lead, along with the local PSC branch and the local Trades Council.
In September we launched a petition, hosted on the council’s own site, for local people to sign. This included a demand for the council to develop a concrete plan to divest LGPS assets from companies complicit in the occupation, involved in arms manufacture and supply, or profiting from the exploitation of fossil fuels.
We organised numerous petition stalls outside tube stations, colleges and mosques. A leaflet with a QR code was also circulated. The response was very positive, and we were able to form links with many other groups, notably the Green Party and student activists.
On September 21st, 2024, we lobbied the Pensions Committee meeting and made a statement to them, which was well received.
Tower Hamlets Council is unusual in that we have a directly elected Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, and his ASPIRE party hold a majority on the council. ASPIRE is well to the left of Labour on most issues. The mayor and the council are under intense scrutiny for historical and political reasons, but this has revealed nothing – indeed the council has just been awarded a Grade 1 rating by OfSTED for its children’s services.
In 2013, during Lutfur Rahman’s first term as mayor, he supported a delegation of his councillors travelling with Tower Hamlets PSC to the occupied West Bank, where we met many activists and politicians in our sister city of Jenin.
In December 2024, Tower Hamlets Trades Council was invited to meet the mayor to discuss LGPS divestment and other issues. We were delighted to hear that the mayor and his team were ready and willing to take divestment forward.
Following this, at the full Council meeting on January 22nd, the ruling ASPIRE group proposed a motion which answered many of our demands. The only opposition was from the single Tory councillor. The motion committed the council:
1. To call for a complete audit of how all pension funds are used, and where any funds are invested.
2. To publicly declare its intent to divest all funds away from companies who deal in arms.
3. To request a formal report be brought to the next available Pensions committee and Cabinet on how this divestment process will be accelerated.
We held a lively lobby outside the meeting and were able to applaud from inside the public gallery.
This agreement is a milestone, and Tower Hamlets joins many other councils who have made similar decisions. There are campaign groups in most localities and with petitions to sign here.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign has a dedicated officer who has given invaluable support and advice. Each council manages its business differently so there is no template, but please contact PSC here if you need any help with a local campaign.
Sybil Cock is Chair, Tower Hamlets PSC. Watch the video here.
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