Kingston Council understands that people across the borough feel strongly that they do not want the actions of public bodies to inadvertently contribute to conflict and human rights violations in Palestine and around the world.
Upholding human rights and being a safe and welcoming place for all is at the heart of what we are as a borough, demonstrated through our work to deliver our Inclusive Kingston strategy, our ambition to be a borough of sanctuary, and our commitment to responsible investment of the Kingston Pension Fund in line with the Responsible Investment Policy.
The Kingston Pension Fund is overseen by the council’s Pension Fund Panel on behalf of 37 employers and around 20,000 scheme members.
A cross-party group of elected members was set up to review the fund’s investments and make recommendations to the Pension Fund Panel for consideration in their decision making on the future direction of the fund’s Responsible Investment Policy.
The group met a number of times over the summer and unanimously agreed on a set of recommendations to be put to the Pension Fund Panel. These included:
- Consider options to divest or actively not invest in companies that are listed on the United Nations Office for the High Commission on Human Rights database of businesses whose activity is in violation of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
- Review the Responsible Investment Policy, to strengthen the prioritisation of human rights considerations.
The panel met on 17 September 2025 and agreed the recommendations.
We want to be transparent that there are some things that we cannot change, as we are legally bound to comply with certain requirements.
The Pension Fund Panel has a legal obligation not to take any action that would have a detrimental financial impact on the pension funds of scheme members. Before we can implement changes to our Responsible Investment Policy, we must determine whether the legal obligations can still be met and protect the interests of the scheme members. This work is underway.
Where the funds are pooled in the London Collective Investment Vehicle, they are responsible for investing in line with our investment strategy and our Responsible Investment Policy.
We are committed to continuing to work with fund managers to put ethical investment and upholding human rights at the heart of decision making.
The Pension Fund Panel will report back to the council’s Corporate and Resources Committee with the outcome of the review and the steps being taken by the fund.
In the meantime, the Pension Fund Panel is working towards implementing the recommendations of the cross-party group by reviewing the Responsible Investment Policy and considering options for divesting and actively not investing in companies identified on the United Nations Office for the High Commission on Human Rights database.