Palantir is a US-based company that develops data and analytics software.

Rotherham Council has been urged to support the end of NHS England’s controversial software contract with US-based company, Palantir.

Independent Councillor Taiba Yasseen is set to forward a motion calling on Rotherham Council and the national government to sever links with the firm.

The cross-party motion notes that in November 2023, Palantir was awarded a seven-year contract worth up to £330 million by NHS England, to provide the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP).

This platform brings together information held in different NHS systems, to support patient care, hospital management, waiting-list planning and wider NHS decision-making.

The motion references concerns about how patient data is handled by Palantir staff and how this access is independently monitored.

Concerns surround patient information including diagnoses, medication, mental health, disabilities, sexual and reproductive health, family circumstances, and other personal information.

It notes that the company has supplied technology to US immigration for surveillance operations, and in 2024 announced a partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Defence to provide technology in support of “war related missions”.

In June 2025, the British Medical Association (BMA) passed a resolution declaring Palantir an unacceptable partner for the NHS data platform, calling for an end to Palantir’s expansion within the NHS and termination of current contracts.

After reviewing the contract, the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee recommended that the government use a break clause in the contract for February 2027, calling for an NHS-developed or UK-based provider to take over.

The motion asks for council to call on the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, and Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust to pause further expansion of Palantir technology, and add no new patient datasets to the FDP while the contract is under review.

It also calls for the council’s scrutiny committee to look into how Palantir is using patient and non-patient data, and how Rotherham residents will be consulted before further expansion.

The independent councillor is proposing through the motion that the council adopt a formal policy that Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council will not use Palantir technology to process council-held information

The motion is set to be discussed at a full council meeting on July 15, 2026.