Issue - meetings

For Members to consider any petitions with more than 200 signatures on which a debate has been requested, in accordance with the Council’s petition rules and Standing Order 68.

Members are asked to note that at the time of agenda publication no petitions have been submitted for presentation at the meeting.

For Members to consider any petitions with more than 200 signatures on which a debate has been requested, in accordance with the Council’s petition rules and Standing Order 68.

Members are asked to note that the following petition is due to be presented at the meeting:

Divest for Palestine  (Brent & Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign Lead petitioner – Sheila Guhadasan)

The Mayor advised that he had accepted a request for a petition to be presented at the meeting.  The petition, containing a total of 1210 signatures, had been submitted by the Brent & Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign (with Sheila Guhadasan as lead petitioner) and was related to a Divest for Palestine campaign.

Unless otherwise indicated by members, the Mayor advised he intended to allow up to five minutes for presentation of the petition before then providing Councillor Mili Patel (as Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Finance & Resources) up to two minutes to respond.

As no objections were raised on the approach outlined, the Mayor welcomed Sheila Guhadasan to the meeting and prior to inviting her to present the petition took the opportunity to remind everyone present at the meeting that one of the things he was most proud about as Mayor was the diverse nature of the borough and peaceful relationships that existed between its many different communities enabling them to live side by side in peace and harmony.  Whilst advising that his heart went out to all those affected by the conflict in Israel and Gaza and recognising the different ways in which people expressed their solidarity with those affected, the Mayor was keen to ensure the efforts to foster community cohesion within the borough were maintained during consideration of the item for which he thanked everyone for their support.

The Mayor then invited Sheila Guhadasan to present the petition, who began by thanking the Mayor and advising she was being supported in her presentation by two Brent residents one of Palestinian and the other of Jewish heritage.  Highlighting the current number of signatures received (totalling over 2000 including 773 via an e-petition) it was pointed out these included residents from all faith and backgrounds and the petition calling on the Council to recognise what were felt to be its legal and moral responsibilities and join the growing number of Councils, public bodies and institutions divesting for Palestine

Referring to the thousands of Palestinian lives lost during the current Israeli assault on the Gaza strip, almost half of whom had been children, Sheila Guhadasan felt it important to recognise the impact in terms of 90% of Gaza’s population having also been displaced, many on multiple occasions, and nowhere being safe to shelter with families also facing famine due to the ongoing blockade and targeting of key infrastructure.  This was on top of what the petitioners felt to be the illegal settlement of the West Bank and ongoing occupation and oppression of Palestinians in Gaza, which it was felt required a stand to be taken and everything possible to be done in an attempt to bring the suffering to an end.

Referring to an interim ruling in January 2024 by the International Court of Justice, Sheila Guhadasan felt the UK as a state party to the Genocide Convention had a binding obligation to employ all means reasonably available to prevent and deter what those in support of the petition regarded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9

For Members to consider any petitions with more than 200 signatures on which a debate has been requested, in accordance with the Council’s petition rules and Standing Order 68.

Members are asked to note there are no petitions due to be received at this meeting of the Council.

The Mayor advised that no requests for debates on any petitions had been received for consideration at the meeting.