Last week was Armed Forces week.
Ipswich was the lead town for coordinating and hosting this year’s celebrations in Suffolk, which allowed us to reaffirm our commitment to the Suffolk Armed Forces Community Covenant, first signed in 2012.
Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) has shown its commitment as an Armed Forces-friendly organisation by signing the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging support as an employer and public service provider.
IBC provides practical help to veterans such as:
· Eligible veterans can now enjoy a 20% reduction in the price of all Ipswich Buses period tickets ranging from the 7-Day Pass to the 52-Week Pass.
· The Council has a guaranteed interview scheme for members of the armed forces and veterans.
· The Council provides a Military iCard for serving members of the Armed Forces, allowing all-day access to gyms at IBC Sports Centres from Monday to Friday.
· Additional priority will be awarded on the Councils Housing register to former members of the Armed Forces and bereaved spouses and civil partners.
· War Disablement Pension, War Widow’s Pension or War Widower’s Pension will not be considered when calculating income for Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support.
The week’s celebrations in Ipswich began with a flag-raising ceremony on the Cornhill, accompanied by a short civic event open to the public.
The Armed Forces flag was flown there, and outside IBC’s headquarters at Grafton House throughout the week, in honour of members of the military community, both past and present.
I also met the new Armed Forces Commissioner for Suffolk, Andy Smith. The Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for serving personnel and their families to raise issues, outside of the chain of command, which impact service life, from kit, to housing to childcare and issues impacting family life.
On Tuesday, I attended the Bigger Breakfast, with the Mayor and IBC’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor Alasdair Ross.
A brilliant morning saw hundreds of veterans having a breakfast in a big marque on the Ipswich YM Rugby pitch. This event was the idea of Nigel Seaman, the founder of Combat2Coffee which helps veterans across the country.
He was joined by former Ipswich and England captain Terry Butcher, as well as the minister for veterans and people, Alistair Carns.
The aim of Combat to Coffee is to help veterans open up about their mental health problems.
Carns spoke about how the Labour government had recently launched the VALOUR scheme, which gives veterans across the UK easier access to essential care and support. £50 million of funding will establish a new network of VALOUR-recognised support centres across the UK and deploy Regional Field Officers to connect local, regional and national services.
The Labour Government has launched a £75 million LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme to recognise the historic wrongs experienced by LGBT veterans in the Armed Forces.
The total amount available for payments has been increased to £75 million, significantly above the level recommended in the Etherton Review.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a commitment by the nation to ensure that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, along with their families, are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in accessing public and commercial services.
I am delighted that the Labour Government is committed to putting the Armed Forces covenant fully into law, to ensure fairness and respect for our veterans and their families – work on this is already underway.
We recognise the sacrifices made not only by those in uniform but by their families. The Labour Government will put forces families first, as will our IBC champion, Councillor Ross.
Share