Issue - meetings

A petition has been submitted by the Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the following terms:

“We call on Brent Council to exclude Veolia Environmental Services from the list of contractors approved to bid for the Public Realm Contract in Brent because of Veolia’s complicity in the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.”

The petition contains more than the required 50 valid signatures.

Noted.

The Executive heard from Elizabeth Lindsay, speaking on behalf of the Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign who presented a petition calling on the council to excluded Veolia Environmental Services from the list of contractors approved to bid for the for the Public Realm Contract because Veolia was said to be complicit in the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. She urged the council be concerned about ethical procurement and cited accounts of alleged violation of international humanitarian law. She presented information that she indicated evidenced a link between Veolia in the UK and Veolia in Israel,  gave examples of decisions she indicated had been taken by other local authorities not to included Veolia in their list of preferred bidders and asked the council to have regard to its commitment to equality and to take a principled stand.

On behalf of the Executive, the Councillor R Moher (Deputy Leader of the Council, in the Chair) thanked the petitioners for attending the meeting and advised that they would receive a formal response from the Borough Solicitor.