Coventry City Council voted to end its contract with US technology giant Palantir following a Green Party motion backed by councillors.
The motion asked the authority to publish the findings of a review of Palantir tech and set out the current and future intended uses of the firm’s software. It also urged the authority to come up with alternative options.
Motion to end the Palantir contract at the next lawful opportunity
As part of the motion, Labour’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Finance and Resources, Cllr Richard Brown, had been asked to report on “the practicalities of ending the current Palantir contract at the next lawful opportunity.”
The city council uses Palantir for the transcription of social worker case notes; to check documents sent in by low-income residents to see if they are eligible for support ; and in the adult and children’s services departments.
The motion, brought by newly elected Green councillor Matt Greenhalgh (St Michael’s ward), follows a report by the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee that raised concerns about the company’s growing role in UK public services.
Increasing worries over Palantir access to sensitive data
Cllr Greenhalgh said there were increasing worries over Palantir, including a number of controversial comments it has made and its widely-publicised access to NHS patient data as part of a national contract. These had sounded “overt warning bells that betray a mindset completely incompatible with British values of democracy, mutual respect, and tolerance,” he said.
He told a full meeting of Coventry City Council that Palantir data had been used by US immigration and customs enforcement agents to target migrant communities and by the Israeli government to eliminate targets in Gaza, where the civilian death toll now sits at more than 75,000. For these reasons, a full briefing was needed from officers using this technology for council services, he argued.
Sensitive data and financial bill for the council
Cllr Greenhalgh said the council’s current use of Palantir software meant it could access“incredibly sensitive” data from children and vulnerable adults but the real risk was the council being locked into continued use of the tech. By the end of the five-year contract, the council’s bill for Palantir will sit at over £3mn.
“What we should also do is look at the potential long-term consequences of locking ourselves into a platform. Once you have proprietary technology that you use and you continue to use, you can’t get out,” he explained.
Conservative group leader, Cllr John Blundell (Wainbody ward), said his party would be voting against the motion because the use of Palantir’s tech had already gone through scrutiny by officers.
Conservatives and Reform in favour of Palantir
Reform accused the Green Party of having an agenda against Palantir that was driven by the use of data in Israel.
Cllr Frank Beechey (Reform, Wyken) pointed out: “I understand the Green Party have issues with Palantir, it’s come across at a national level. Microsoft and Apple, they supply chips to Russia. They’ve been used in bombs in Ukraine. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, they both sell tech to foreign competitors that are used in wars against the West. Quite simply, if we stopped using companies that sold their tech abroad, we would end up not being able to use anyone.
“So, my belief is, what we should judge Palantir on is what they do for us. We’re just into our second year with them, and we have a fantastic deal. The cost of the service they provide us is we pay far less than what we’re getting in return.”
Cllr Beechey said he had spoken to staff in the council’s children’s services department who use Palantir tech and they were unanimous in their support of it, because of the amount of time it freed up with cases. He believed it may have helped the council gain an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating for children’s services.
Cllr Andrew Bullock (Reform, Wyken) said: “It does feel to me that there is some political agenda, possibly focused on Palestine and against Israel, which has led this motion to be proposed. So that’s why I am against it.”
Green Party leader explains the reasons behind the motion
Green Party leader Cllr Esther Reeves responded: “You’re right that we don’t like Palantir. We think that a company that is run by someone whose stated aim is to get rid of democracy isn’t the best people to be working with.
“And we are concerned about the genocide in Palestine. Lots of people are, but that is not why we don’t like Palantir. We don’t like Palantir because they, as I said, are headed up by somebody who doesn’t want democracy. And I think that’s very dangerous.
“But we’re not asking for any officer to stop the contract. We’re asking that everyone gets briefed properly on the pros and cons of this contract so that you will be fully informed. If you don’t want to be fully informed, fine, all we’re asking is that you get briefed. And then you can make your own minds up.
“You all said you wanted to have more scrutiny. That’s what we’re suggesting and then, if you think that Palantir is perfectly fine, great.
“The other reason we don’t like Palantir is because we’re seriously concerned about a lock-in, where they give us a nice cheap deal at the beginning, which they have, and it gradually goes up and up and up until it’s no longer a good deal. But by that point, we’re too used to using their platform to build things on and we’ve built too much on that platform to be able to give it up.”
Cllr Brown explains that Palantir has to keep UK data in the UK
Cllr Richard Brown, who has agreed to present a report on Palantir at his next Cabinet finance meeting, explained: “As with almost every other council, we are exploring ways in which AI can offer smarter, more targeted services in a more efficient way. This is consistent with the duty of care, which falls on all of us to make sure we get the best value for our taxpayers.
“Following proof of concept during 2024, the council entered a contract with Palantir for the provision of a strategic AI platform. The contract started in February 2025, and is structured as a series of one-year contracts, with break points each year, up to a maximum of five years.
“Everything is built to what we want and our standards. It’s important to understand that Palantir operates under strict data agreements. Coventry’s data stays in UK storage with encryption. No data is shared or used outside the control or scope of this council. And there is no evidence of any Palantir data breaches.”
Motion passed narrowly
The motion was passed by just one vote, with 26 votes in favour and 25 against.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Greenhalgh said: “I am pleased we were able to bring this issue to council and work with the cabinet member for finance to agree an amendment that allowed this to pass support from the majority of the chamber.
“I look forward to the release of the review undertaken last year and the opportunity to scrutinise the council’s relationship with Palantir going forward. I hope this will expose the issues with the current arrangement and deliver an outcome that supports our officers with reliable, ethical, and sustainable solutions.”
Scrutiny of contracts is important
Cllr Esther Reeves said after the meeting: “In recent meetings Reform complained about there being less scrutiny in council meetings. Now they are against scrutiny on this particular contract, even when government reports suggest cause for concern.
“It is our job to hold these suppliers to high ethical standards to protect our citizens, especially those who are the most vulnerable.
“We support the extended local campaign against the contract and the previous work done on this subject by ex-councillor Grace Lewis. We hope our motion spells the beginning of the end.”
By Local Democracy Reporter David Bentley
