Bedford borough councillors have backed calls to review investments linked to the conflict in Gaza after a petition signed by more than 300 residents put pressure on a £4bn public pension fund.
The petition was debated at last night’s Full Council (Wednesday) and called for the Bedfordshire Pension Fund to divest from companies “enabling Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian rights”.
The Pension Fund provides pensions and other benefits to former employees of Bedfordshire’s three local authorities and other admitted bodies.
At the end of 2025, there were approximately 24,400 pensioners, 38,500 deferred pensioners and 24,100 active members, totalling 87,000 members in the scheme.
Read: Investment rules questioned over possible Bedfordshire Pension Fund link to IDF
Petition organiser Neil Mann said as a member of the scheme, he was “shocked” to learn the fund had invested “millions of pounds in companies that are linked to activities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories.”
“When I discovered this, I felt it was my responsibility as a resident and as a pension recipient to bring this matter to the council’s attention,” he said.
“As the presenter of this petition, I condemn, without reservation or hesitation, the horrendous crimes committed during the Hamas-led terrorist attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
“The murder of innocent men, women, and children, and the taking and holding of hostages in appalling conditions are acts that deserve unequivocal condemnation.
“This petition does not seek to support, excuse, or justify these atrocities, nor any acts of terrorism against Jewish people anywhere in the world.
“What this petition asks us to do tonight is something different, it asks us to look at the role that our pension investments play in the ongoing suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the occupationed Westbank.
“We recognise that a council in Bedford cannot determine events in the Middle East – our influence is limited,” he said.
“But we do have a responsibility to consider how our pension funds are being invested.”
A motion based on the petition was proposed by Cllr Lucy Bywater (Green, Castle and Newnham) and passed by a majority vote.
It calls on the pension fund committee to review investments where there is “credible evidence” of links to breaches of international law, and to consider stronger action if engagement fails.
The council will now formally ask the pension fund committee to review its investments, although it is not obliged to act, as the committee operates independently under statutory rules.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
