Agenda item

To consider the two motions received from Members.

Supplemental Note in relation to Motion B:

On 23 April 2024, Somerset Council voted on a motion in respect of a commercial investment property it owns at 600 Aztec West.  That motion included a statement that “the tenant Elbit UK [is] a major UK based provider of weapons to the Israeli Defence Forces, used in the current Gaza catastrophe“.

Elbit Systems UK Limited have contacted us to say this is factually incorrect and they do not supply weapons or military equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

The Council would like to apologise and withdraw the statement that Elbit Systems UK Limited supplies military equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

Motion A - Plight of the Ukrainian People

Councillor Mark Healey proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Henry Hobhouse.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:

·       Note that as a result of the ongoing conflict over 1 million Ukrainians had been forced to leave the country fleeing the conflict, and that many of those people who had remained in the country were facing a humanitarian crisis.

·       Stand in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against Putin’s illegal invasion along with their friends and relatives here in Somerset.

·       Note Somersets proud record of supporting refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, Syria and many other conflicts, helping them to settle in Somerset.

Full Council therefore would:

·       Continue to provide support locally to Ukrainian refugees, working in collaboration with the local voluntary and community sector.

·       Call on Government to continue to provide essential aid to Ukraine by sending a letter to the Prime Minister from the Chair of Council.

Supplemental Note in relation to Motion B:

On 23 April 2024, Somerset Council voted on a motion in respect of a commercial investment property it owns at 600 Aztec West.  That motion included a statement that “the tenant Elbit UK [is] a major UK based provider of weapons to the Israeli Defence Forces, used in the current Gaza catastrophe“.

Elbit Systems UK Limited have contacted us to say this is factually incorrect and they do not supply weapons or military equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

The Council would like to apologise and withdraw the statement that Elbit Systems UK Limited supplies military equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

Motion B - Council Property Investment

Councillor Brian Smedley proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Shane Collins.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:

·       Note, that in the light of calls for an end of UK Arms sales to Israel, Somerset Council had been reviewing its interest in the Aztec West property in its commercial portfolio with a view to immediately disposing of the property or securing a means to legally evict the tenant Elbit UK, a major UK based provider of weapons to the Israeli Defence Forces, used in the current Gaza catastrophe.

·       Explore all ways of legally evicting Elbit UK or otherwise, to dispose of the property;

·       Ensure that moral and ethical considerations are fully appraised in addition to financial advantage in any future commercial property investments for yield.

The Chair of Council with the support of the Council proposed that agenda item 9 be taken earlier in the agenda in view of the significant councillor and public interest.

Motion A - Plight of the Ukrainian People

Councillor Mark Healey introduced the Motion and gave some background information and the reasons why he had brought the Motion to Full Council. 

The Council discussed the Motion and the following points were raised:-

·       Councillors were happy to support the Motion.

·       Councillors highlighted the work that the Council and the residents of Somerset had done in supporting and working with the Ukrainians.

·       Councillors hoped that Central Government would continue and extend the scheme until it was safe for the Ukrainian people to return to their home country.

Councillor Henry Hobhouse thanked councillors for their support on the Motion.

Councillor Mark Healey proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Henry Hobhouse.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:

·       Note that as a result of the ongoing conflict over 1 million Ukrainians had been forced to leave the country fleeing the conflict, and that many of those people who had remained in the country were facing a humanitarian crisis.

·       Stand in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people against Putin’s illegal invasion along with their friends and relatives here in Somerset.

·       Note Somersets proud record of supporting refugees fleeing from Afghanistan, Syria and many other conflicts, helping them to settle in Somerset.

Full Council therefore would:

·       Continue to provide support locally to Ukrainian refugees, working in collaboration with the local voluntary and community sector.

·       Call on Government to continue to provide essential aid to Ukraine by sending a letter to the Prime Minister from the Chair of Council.

Motion B - Council Property Investment

Councillor Brian Smedley introduced the Motion and gave some background information and the reasons why he and Councillor Shane Collins had brought the Motion to Full Council.  He highlighted the following:-

·       The details of the property acquisition by Sedgemoor District Council and their Commercial Investment Scheme.

·       Concern was raised on the humanitarian impact of the war in Gaza.

·       Concern was raised on the consequences of having a lease with Elbit UK and how that reflected on Somerset Council.

·       That the Council introduced an ethical policy consideration on all future leases.

Councillor Shane Collins thanked Councillor Smedley for proposing the Motion and highlighted that it had been difficult to secure consensus on the wording for the motion.

He highlighted the following:-

·       He raised concerns about the legacy investment.

·       He requested that the Council considered legal methods for eviction within the terms of the lease as he believed there were moral grounds for eviction.

·       He believed there were moral grounds for eviction.

·       He spoke on the background on Elbit UK and their business ethics.

·       Concern was raised on the war in Gaza.

·       He urged Council to support the Motion.

The Council debated the Motion and the following points were raised:-

·       Councillors thanked the proposer and seconder for their work and for the constructive dialogue with officers on amending the wording being proposed.

·       Councillors highlighted that the lease had been acquired by a predecessor council and background information was given on the decision made by Sedgemoor District Council.

·       Councillors highlighted the work being carried out in engaging with Elbit UK and recognised that a possible sale of the Council’s interest would also support the Motion.

·       Councillors agreed that the Council needed to look carefully at any future investments and take into account any moral and ethical measures in the decision-making process.

·       Councillors highlighted some concerns they had on the use of Commercial Investment Strategies.

·       Councillors welcomed the debate as they considered this was a matter of interest for Somerset’s communities.

·       Councillors wanted to understand the framework for moral and ethical investments and requested that they saw a risk report prior to any decisions being made.

·       Some councillors were concerned about the potential legal and financial consequences of the Motion.

·       Some councillors requested that the Motion was deferred to the next meeting of Full Council to allow for further legal advice to be sought.

·       The proposer and seconder read from the tenancy agreement to highlight the clauses they believed could be engaged to evict Elbit UK.

·       Some councillors queried how the Motion would work alongside any decisions already made or to be taken by the Property and Investment Sub-Committee.

The Lead Member for Performance and Resources read out the agreed actions from the last meeting of the Sub-Committee.  She also reminded Council of the decision made to dispose of all commercial investments as part of the budget reports.  The Leader of the Council further advised that he considered the Motion did not contradict the decision recently made by the Sub-Committee.

Councillor Sarah Wakefield proposed an amendment, which was seconded by Councillor Dixie Darch, to the wording on part three of the recommendations:-

·       To ensure that moral and ethical considerations were fully appraised in addition to financial advantage in any future commercial property investments for yield.

Councillors Brian Smedley and Shane Collins as the proposer and seconder supported the amendment.

Councillor Brian Smedley proposed the recommendations which were seconded by Councillor Shane Collins.

Having been duly proposed and seconded, the Council RESOLVED to:

·       Note, that in the light of calls for an end of UK Arms sales to Israel, Somerset Council had been reviewing its interest in the Aztec West property in its commercial portfolio with a view to immediately disposing of the property or securing a means to legally evict the tenant Elbit UK, a major UK based provider of weapons to the Israeli Defence Forces, used in the current Gaza catastrophe.

·       Explore all ways of legally evicting Elbit UK or otherwise, to dispose of the property;

·       Ensure that moral and ethical considerations are fully appraised in addition to financial advantage in any future commercial property investments for yield.

Supplemental Note in relation to Motion B:

On 23 April 2024, Somerset Council voted on a motion in respect of a commercial investment property it owns at 600 Aztec West.  That motion included a statement that “the tenant Elbit UK [is] a major UK based provider of weapons to the Israeli Defence Forces, used in the current Gaza catastrophe“.

Elbit Systems UK Limited have contacted us to say this is factually incorrect and they do not supply weapons or military equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defence.

The Council would like to apologise and withdraw the statement that Elbit Systems UK Limited supplies military equipment to the Israeli Defence Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defence.