Councils across England are trying to cut ties with Russian energy company Gazprom in protest at the invasion of Ukraine.
Several who use the semi-public company’s gas to heat buildings such as offices, schools and council housing have told the BBC they want to end their contracts as soon as possible.
According to data company Tussell, UK local authorities, which are required by law to find the cheapest offer on behalf of the public, paid Gazprom £29 million from 2016 to 2021.
But many are “deeply saddened” by events in Ukraine since the invasion began last week, said the Local Government Association, which represents the councils.
According to Tussell, total UK public sector spending on Gazprom between 2016 and 2021 was £107m, with NHS spending accounting for £77m or 72%.
Elsewhere, the BBC was told that Health Secretary Sajid Javid had urged NHS trusts to stop using Gazprom-supplied energy.
A senior government source said Mr Javid had also called for “a broader review of every Russian role in supply chains across healthcare”.
The Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell severed all ties with Gazprom earlier this week.
But it’s not on the UK government’s list of sanctioned Russian firms, meaning councils could find it difficult to end contracts early.
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But, District Council Wealden, in East Sussex, which uses Gazprom to supply gas to its social housing, has told the BBC it is reviewing its “options and commitments”.
Council of Telford and Wrekin, in Shropshire, which uses the company’s gas to supply an industrial area, said it wanted to cut connections “urgently”.
And Mark Allison, Labor leader of merton advice, told BBC Radio London he was “not at all comfortable having a relationship with a Russian-sponsored company on the scale that we are at the moment”.
He urged the government to change the rules so local authorities could “disallow doing business with such firms on the basis of their moral or social adequacy.”
Manchester City Council said his contract with Gazprom expired this month, while Bristol City Council said it hadn’t made any payments to her since 2019.
Lancashires Wyre Council told the BBC it switched from Gazprom to another supplier last year.
Londons City Council of Westminster said it started checking financial ties to all Russian companies after the invasion, adding: “A contract with Gazprom to supply our housing estate ended last year.”
Similar North Yorkshire County Council has said it will review its investments and contracts to ensure it is not dealing with Russian companies.
Dorset Council says it would review its pension fund, which has £5million invested in Russian companies.
Some councils have canceled their twinning with Russian cities including durham which was partnered with Kostroma in western Russia doncaster with Osyorsk.
Suffolk County Council was the first agency to announce on Monday that it was actively exploring ways to terminate its contract with the company that supplies it with gas to heat schools and offices.
A spokesman for the Local Government Association said the councils are “deeply saddened by the tragic events in Ukraine and are following the situation closely”.
“It’s up to individual councils to decide how to act on the ground, but like many organizations they will be looking at what action they want to take in light of UK sanctions and the ongoing situation,” they added.
Russian companies supply around 5% of UK gas, compared to almost 50% for EU countries.
A government spokesman said: “We will work closely with councils and other public bodies to ensure they are able to comply with Russia’s financial and investment restrictions and share with them what support they need to do so.
“Britain is in no way dependent on Russian gas supplies and our extremely diverse gas supply sources and diverse electricity mix ensures that homes, businesses and heavy industry get the energy they need.”
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