Herts council refers investment policy for review after Israel-linked petition
Heated meeting sees narrow vote to review Hertfordshire Pension Fund policy as council chair stresses motion did not mention Israel
A motion calling for a review of Hertfordshire County Council’s investment policy has been passed to the council’s Pension Fund Committee after a heated meeting sparked by a petition urging divestment from companies linked to Israel.
While the petition – organised by Peter Segal, the Jewish chair of St Albans Friends of Palestine, and promoted by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign – explicitly targeted firms “complicit in war crimes” in Israel, the motion approved by councillors did not mention Israel at all, instead asking only for a review of the county’s Responsible Investment Policy.
Opponents of the petition warned the campaign risked politicising pension governance and fuelling antisemitism across the county.
Ahead of the meeting, Hertsmere Borough Council leader Cllr Jeremy Newmark urged county leader Cllr Steve Jarvis to reject the motion outright, describing it as “divisive” and “damaging to community cohesion”.
“Here in Hertfordshire, our strength is our unity,” he said in a video message. “Whatever the intention, this threatens to politicise pension management and divide our residents. Let’s protect our pensioners, protect our cohesion and build our shared future.”
Newmark, whose borough includes one of the UK’s largest Jewish populations, also wrote to councillors warning the petition “fundamentally misrepresents both the legal framework governing pension investments and the companies it targets.”
Councillors voted 37–36 in favour of referring the motion to the Pensions Committee for review. In line with council convention, Chairman Cllr Laurence Brass did not exercise a vote.
Outside, the Hertfordshire Jewish Forum led a counter-rally said to have drawn three times more participants than the PSC demonstration. Speakers included Newmark, Nivi Feldman and other local Jewish leaders, who warned that BDS campaigns undermine social unity and inflame antisemitism.
In a statement following the meeting, Cllr Brass confirmed that the motion was “a very bland and innocuous step” and “made no mention of Israel or disinvestment.” He said his decision not to vote followed long-standing convention, adding:
“Having now spoken to most members of the Pension Committee, I am reassured they will rely on professional advice and fiscal prudence, and there will not be any further review of investment policy.”
Hertfordshire County Council also issued a statement stressing that the motion was not about Israel or any specific investment, but “a standard referral to the Pensions Committee as part of the council’s normal governance process.”
The Pensions Committee is expected to consider the matter at its December meeting.
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