KIIGL and Divest East Sussex have been collecting signatures to a petition asking the East Sussex County Council Pension Committee to divest its £145 million holdings in fossil fuel companies. We finally collected 5000 signatures which entitled us to a debate at a full Council meeting.

A lively debate took place at the Council meeting on the 15th October. The petition was supported by the Greens, the Lib Dems and Labour but the governing Tories used their majority to reject it. Strangely a resolution proposing a Climate Emergency was passed at the same meeting. That leaves the Council in a hypocritical position.

KIIGL and Divest East Sussex have now exhausted all formal means to persuade the Council to divest its holdings. As these have failed we will have to resort to a campaign of direct action. We look to all residents of East Sussex to support this action and anyone interested in becoming actively involved should contact KIIGL at divesteastsussex@gmail.com.