Kingston Council has voted to begin a review of how its pension fund is invested.

The decision was made on Tuesday (8 July) and came after a petition signed by over 1,500 entitled 'Divest for Palestine: stop investing pension funds in complicit companies' was presented.

After significant debate and adjournments, councillors from across the political spectrum agreed to form a cross-party task force to take on a full review of Kingston's investments.

The motion asked for a transparent review of all pension fund investments - no decision on any divestment has yet been made.

It also asked for the creation of a task force to report its findings to the Pension Fund Panel by September 2025.

Lead petitioner Sonu Sayeed is a Surbiton resident and argued that Kingston's pension fund goes against the council's commitment to human rights.

"The petition asks this council to take four concrete actions: to transparently review its investments, to divest from complicit companies, to strengthen its investment policy, and to report publicly on its progress," Sayeed told the council at Tuesday's full meeting.

Independent Leader Cllr James Giles expressed his satisfaction with the cross-party cooperation.

He said: "It's not often in this chamber that we find the Administration and Opposition agreeing. But I hope this moment can set a precedent, that when a major policy generates this level of concern, and when constructive proposals are offered, we don't just defend the status quo out of habit."

The Mayor of Kingston-upon-Thames, Cllr Noel Hadjimichael, expressed his appreciation for the convivial spirit of the debate

"The councillors here tonight have shown maturity, diligence, and also incredible courtesy to each other in a difficult situation," he said.

The council's decision is part of a wider movement across the UK, with 12 councils around the UK and in London already having voted to divest their spending.

The motion is seen as a local victory, but campaigners like Betsy from the Kingston & Richmond Palestine Solidarity Campaign say that they are now focusing on working with the council to ensure swift, transparent action.

"It is the starting line, not the finish line. We are now focused on working with the council," Sayeed said.

She added: "So you can go back in the history and look back at the 1980s where councils all around London were doing exactly this. They were committing to divest from South African in opposition to their apartheid. That was part of what lead to the end of apartheid."