Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust spent tens of thousands on 2021 contract with Russian-owned Gazprom

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust spent tens of thousands of pounds on a contract with Russian-owned energy firm Gazprom, figures reveal.
Advertisement of the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom displayed on an advertising during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg match at Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid. Picture date: Wednesday February 23, 2022. See PA story SOCCER Man Utd. Photo credit should read: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.Advertisement of the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom displayed on an advertising during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg match at Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid. Picture date: Wednesday February 23, 2022. See PA story SOCCER Man Utd. Photo credit should read: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.
Advertisement of the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom displayed on an advertising during the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen first leg match at Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid. Picture date: Wednesday February 23, 2022. See PA story SOCCER Man Utd. Photo credit should read: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership Trust spent tens of thousands of pounds on a contract with Russian-owned energy firm Gazprom, figures reveal.

Provided by data firm Tussell, the figures show the total public sector spend in the UK with the Gazprom between 2016 and 2021 was £107 million – and nearly a quarter (£77 million) was from NHS trusts.

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Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust accounted for £80,525 of the spend through a contract with the firm last year.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the NHS must stop using energy supplied by the Russian-owned firm Gazprom, a senior government source told the PA news agency.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has been condemned by leaders around the world.

The source told PA: “Sajid has spoken with NHS England and been clear that trusts need to stop using Gazprom as a supplier.

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“He has also requested a wider review of any Russian role in supply chains across the health service.”

It comes after Lord Simon Stevens, former head of NHS England, told the House of Lords that “decarbonising the health sector will take pound notes out of the hands of dictatorial regimes that are engaged in acts of aggression”.

Meanwhile, a number of councils have said they want to end contracts with Gazprom and are considering alternative options.

Local authorities accounted for £29 million (27%) of the public sector spend with Gazprom over six years.

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Suffolk and Manchester were the councils most reliant on Gazprom, each spending more than £4 million within that time.

A spokesperson for the Local Government Association said: “Councils are deeply saddened by the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine and are following the situation closely.

“It is up to individual councils to decide how to act locally but, like many organisations, they will be reviewing what action they might want to take in light of UK sanctions and the ongoing situation.”

The LGA added that it is looking at how to bring councils together next week to discuss their plans and agree shared approaches.