Content

9.1

The Chief Executive presented a report providing
the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee with advice in relation
to the petition asking the council to “stand with
Palestine” that has been referred to it by Full Council, and
to recommend a course of action for the committee to consider in
response to the three requests in the
petition.

 

 

9.2

RESOLVED: That Strategy and Resources Policy
Committee:-

 

 

 

(a) notes the
content of the petition asking the Council to ‘stand with
Palestine’, as referred to the committee by Full
Council;
 
(b) notes that
points 1 and 3 of the requests made in the petition have been
fulfilled, by, respectively, the publication of a cross-party
statement of solidarity on 25 March 2024, and the debate that took
place on the issues raised by the petition at the Full Council
meeting on 6 March 2024; and
 
(c) In relation
to point 2 of the petition:
 
(1) Note that
none of the recommendations of the Amnesty International report
referred to in the petition are directed towards Sheffield City
Council; note that matters of international law as set out in that
report are not within the competence of Sheffield City Council; and
further note that, as such, it is not open to the committee to make
a designation of the type suggested by the
petition.
 
(2) With the
exception of investments, note that none of the actions in the1981
Statement of Action published by Sheffield City Council as part of
declaring Sheffield to be a South African Apartheid Free Zone are
ones that the Council could now lawfully take in respect of
Israel.
 
(3) With respect
to investments note that in the current Treasury Management
Strategy the Council has determined that it will only invest in
countries with a defined sovereign credit rating of AA- or above
and that this currently excludes Israel, but requests that as part
of the next review of the Treasury Management Strategy
consideration is given to the issues raised in the petition, along
with all other considerations including duties under the Equalities
Act 2010, best value, and proper financial
management.
 
(4) Agrees to
take no other action in respect of this aspect of the
petition.

 

 

9.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

9.3.1

The
recommendations in the report set out the only action available to
the committee in respect of the requests made in the petition
presented to Full Council.

 

 

9.4

Alternatives Considered and
Rejected

 

 

9.4.1

There are no alternative options available to the committee in
respect of this issue

 

 

 

(NOTE: The result of the vote on the resolution was FOR - 11
Members; AGAINST - 0 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 2
Members.