FOI request (FOIR-733179878)

Al-Mawasi council resolution

Requested Tue 22 July 2025
Responded Tue 12 August 2025

My Reference: F0041/180725

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ('the Act'), I hereby make a formal request for the disclosure of recorded information held by Hastings Borough Council in relation to the resolution passed at the council meeting on 16th July 2025 endorsing friendship links (or potential twinning) with Al-Mawasi in Gaza. For the avoidance of doubt, this request pertains solely to information created or received during the period from 1st January 2024 to 18th July 2025, and is confined to documents, emails, memoranda, notes, minutes, assessments, or other tangible records that are readily retrievable without engaging the cost exemption under section 12 of the Act.

In the event that the estimated cost of compliance with any part of this request exceeds the appropriate limit prescribed by section 12 (being £450 for a local authority, equivalent to 18 hours of staff time at £25 per hour), I kindly ask that you notify me promptly in accordance with your duty under section 16 of the Act to provide advice and assistance, including suggestions for refining or prioritising elements of the request to bring it within the limit. Where feasible, please disclose information responsive to those parts of the request that can be complied with within the cost threshold, applying the public interest test as required under the Act.

To ensure clarity, precision, and ease of response, thereby minimising any administrative burden and avoiding any potential characterisation as vexatious under section 14, I have enumerated the request into discrete, self-contained parts below. Each part specifies the exact category of information sought, and I confirm that this request is made in good faith for the legitimate purpose of enhancing public transparency and accountability in local decision-making processes.

1. All internal communications, including but not limited to emails, memoranda, draft documents, and meeting notes, exchanged between councillors, council officers, or committees, concerning the preparation, deliberation, or adoption of the motion endorsing friendship links (or potential twinning) with Al-Mawasi, with particular reference to any discussions of humanitarian aid, political advocacy, fundraising, solidarity initiatives, or related motions (for example, ceasefire or arms embargoes).

2. All external communications, including but not limited to emails, letters, and records of meetings or submissions, between the council (or its members or staff) and any third-party organisations or individuals such as the Hastings & Rye Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Hastings Friends of Al-Mawasi, Palestine Action, Britain Palestine Friendship and Twinning Network, or other entities associated with advocacy related to Palestine, relating to the friendship links (or twinning) proposal, including any lobbying materials, evidence provided, or invitations extended.

3. A comprehensive breakdown of all actual or projected costs associated with the friendship links (or twinning) initiative, encompassing staff time (expressed in hours and estimated financial value), production or distribution of promotional materials, coordination of fundraising efforts, or any other related expenditures, along with any internal memoranda or assessments evaluating the justification, benefits, or risks for such use of public funds.

4. Copies of all registers or declarations of interests (whether pecuniary or non-pecuniary) submitted by councillors who participated in the debate or vote on the friendship links (or twinning) motion, including any disclosures pertaining to memberships, affiliations, or involvements with external organisations, campaigns, or activist groups connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

5. Any legal opinions, risk evaluations, policy analyses, or advisory documents obtained or generated by the council in respect of the friendship links (or twinning) decision, including but not limited to assessments of adherence to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism (as adopted by the council in 2020), other equality/diversity policies, implications for community relations, or the council's lawful remit to engage in matters of international relations.

6. Any equality impact assessments, community engagement reports, consultation summaries, or stakeholder feedback documents prepared or received in connection with the friendship links (or twinning) motion, including details of representations from residents, community organisations (such as Jewish groups), or other parties, and records of how such input was factored into the decision-making process.

7. Particulars of all complaints, objections, or representations lodged with the council regarding the friendship links (or twinning) resolution or antecedent motions (for example, those concerning ceasefires or arms embargoes in the Israel-Palestine context), comprising the substance of each complaint, the council's formal response, and any subsequent investigations, resolutions, or remedial actions undertaken.

8. The complete official minutes, verbatim transcripts (if available), or audio/visual recordings (if held) of the council meeting held on 16 July 2025 at which the friendship links (or twinning) motion was debated and resolved, together with any preparatory briefings, agendas, working group records from sessions convened in anticipation of that meeting, or amendments made during the debate.

---

Response

1. Please see attached.

2. Please see attached.

3. The motion says 'Support for the friendship link will have no budgetary implications for Hastings Borough Council: activities will be self-funded and organised by participants'.

4. Declarations of Members Interests can be viewed on our website:

https://hastings.moderngov.co.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1

5. Information not held.

6. Information not held.

7. Please see attached.

8. The video of the meeting can be viewed on our website:

https://www.hastings.gov.uk/my-council/cm/?v=5035904

There is the option to view and search a transcript of the recording.

The minutes are not yet available but will be publicly available to view on our website in due course:

https://hastings.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=168&MId=5630&Ver=4