Lambeth Green Party councillors have launched a petition urging Lambeth Council to cancel plans to award technology firm Oracle an £8m contract, citing concerns about the company’s alleged political and international ties.
The party claims Oracle provides technology that facilitates Israel’s actions in Gaza, which it describes as genocide against the Palestinian people. It also points to reports that the company’s former chief executive, Safra Catz, donated to the re-election campaign of US President Donald Trump.
Lambeth Greens are preparing to ‘call in’ the decision so it can be reviewed by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The proposed call-in will also raise concerns about what the party describes as Oracle’s ‘poor performance’ in local government, referencing IT system issues at Birmingham City Council that contributed to the authority declaring effective bankruptcy.
Cllr Martin Abrams, Green Party councillor for Streatham St Leonard’s, said: ‘By awarding this contract, Labour will be using residents money to enrich an organisation and its billionaire owners who use their influence to support and sustain the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people by Israel. This is the definition of complicity. Labour needs to change their unconscionable “neutral position” on Israel’s genocidereject Oracle and get on the right side of history.’
A spokesperson for Lambeth Council defended the proposed contract, stating: ‘After more than two decades using variations of Oracle systems the Oracle Fusion Cloud system is fully embedded across the council’s Finance, HR, Payroll and Procurement, and payroll. There has never been any tenable alternative suggestion made for procurement of a suitable replacement. Replacing it would require a full re-implementation, significant transition costs, major organisational change, and considerable operational risk, and would not represent value for money for Lambeth’s taxpayers at this time.’
Oracle has been contacted for comment.
