On 3rd of March 2022 Jack Simpson wrote in inside housing about the councils and associations to cancel Russian deals after Ukraine invasion, according to him,
As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, local governments and housing associations have announced that any contracts they have with Russian-controlled enterprises will be terminated.
Two councils in the South East have confirmed to Inside Housing that they are looking to stop contracts, while Home Group has also cancelled a deal with a Russian-based energy supplier.
Home Group CEO Mark Henderson announced the cancellation of the 55,000-home landlord’s energy contract with Gazprom in a tweet this morning.
Mr Henderson claimed that while the Gazprom deal was good value for money, democracy was more important. In addition, the organisation will use its Home Group fund to furnish homes for incoming Ukrainian immigrants.
Wealden District Council said it was working with its procurement team to cancel a deal with Gazprom to deliver gas to its sheltered housing, and Kent County Council stated it would no longer do business with Russian firms.
Wealden’s leader, Bob Standley, said the East Sussex-based council “completely denounced” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and wants to help the people of Ukraine.
He went on to say that the council was looking into whether it had any contracts with other Russian-controlled firms, with the intention of taking similar measures as Gazprom.
“In the very few cases where activity with Russian interest, such as in the energy sector, has been found, all fresh transactions have been stopped,” said Roger Gough, the head of Kent County Council.
As a result of Western sanctions, a number of corporations around the world, including those in the United Kingdom, have taken efforts to withdraw from Russia or discontinue relationships with the country. Other local governments, including Suffolk County Council, have already cancelled arrangements with the Russian energy giant.
Wealden signed three contracts with Gazprom for the supply of gas to its retirement communities across the local authority, all of which were set to expire in 2024.
Mr Standley, on the other hand, stated that the company was seeking assistance from the Local Government Association and the government on how to best cancel the contract and find new suppliers.
“We’re also looking into if there are any additional contracts with Russian-controlled corporations,” he added, adding that if there are, “we’ll take comparable steps to terminate those agreements.”
Mr Gough stated that Laser, Kent’s wholly owned energy-buying company, had removed Gazprom from its fixed-price gas framework and will not consider it for future contracts. Customers who had contracted directly with Gazprom under old Laser arrangements, he noted, will be advised to terminate their contracts.
Kent’s pension fund, he claimed, has “very low” (0.3 percent) exposure to Russian assets, which he was working to further minimise.
“[Russian president Vladimir Putin’s] brutal assault on a European state that has been building such democratic institutions over a generation threatens our common values, and we stand in solidarity with all those in Ukraine who are defending their country and their freedoms,” Mr Gough said.
Hundreds of civilians have been murdered as a result of Russia’s assault in Ukraine, which is now in its eighth day. The West has been outspoken in its disapproval of Russia’s activities. Countries have slapped harsh penalties on Russia and blocked the assets of anyone linked to the Putin regime.
Last week, London Mayor Sadiq Khan urged the government to enact new legislation allowing for the seizure of homes and other property owned by Putin’s friends.
Suffolk County Council announced yesterday that it had terminated all of its contracts with Gazprom.
In response to the Russian president’s “utterly despicable” conduct, council leader Matthew Hicks said he had instructed his officers to reassess the deal with Gazprom and had now chosen to exercise alternatives to break away from it.
“The government is implementing economic sanctions against Russia, and this is one way we can assist put an end to this act of aggression against a free and peaceful nation and its innocent people,” he said.