The Questions at Any Time to Heads of Service meeting of Powys Council on 19 September 2025 was scheduled to address a question from County Councillor Little Brighouse regarding ethical and legal compliance in the council's investments and financial interests. The focus was on ensuring that Powys County Council's investments do not contribute to human rights violations, specifically in relation to Palestine and Israel. The question was directed to the Head of Finance.

Ethical and Legal Compliance in Council Investments and Finance

County Councillor Little Brighouse raised concerns about Powys County Council's direct and indirect investments and their potential complicity in Israel's genocide and apartheid against Palestinians . They referenced a legal opinion commissioned by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which asserts that Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) funds have a legal obligation to divest from companies enabling these actions.

The councillor's question was not about direct investments, but about indirect investments made through:

• Pooled funds
• Index funds
• Intermediaries
• Procurement contracts
• Banking arrangements

County Councillor Little Brighouse asked the Cabinet Member to confirm whether Powys County Council has any interests in companies that:

1. Supply arms, weapons systems, military technology, or surveillance equipment to Israel or to states/entities supporting its military operations.
2. Provide construction, infrastructure, security, or logistical services in or for illegal Israeli settlements or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
3. Finance, insure, or otherwise materially support companies or projects linked to these activities.
4. Facilitate or profit from the blockade of Gaza, aid obstruction, or border control systems that contribute to starvation and forced displacement.
5. Provide material support to settler violence or annexation projects in the occupied West Bank which identify companies directly complicit in Israel's military occupation and settlement economy (such as those referenced on internationally recognised benchmarks — such as the UN Human Rights Council database of businesses active in Israeli settlements, reports of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Who Profits research database )

County Councillor Little Brighouse also asked that if any such interests are identified, what steps the council will take to review, divest, and publicly report on these holdings, and within what timeframe, to ensure compliance with its fiduciary duties¹, international legal obligations, and ethical responsibilities.