Last Saturday was UK Armed Forces Day, which takes place each year on the last Saturday in June.  It’s an opportunity to show public support for the men and women who make up our Armed Forces community, from those currently serving, to service families, veterans, reservists and cadets.

Across the country, events took place and along with fellow councillors and our MP, I was pleased to visit this year’s Crawley event in the Memorial Gardens.  The appalling invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the sacrifices being made there to defend freedom, brings into focus the dedication of our own Armed Forces and the pivotal role they play in keeping us safe.

There is greater awareness of the challenges that service veterans face.  Both West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant.  Last week I attended a training session for councillors hosted by West Sussex County Council on Armed Forces Covenant Awareness, which was very informative. Attendees learned about how members of the Armed Forces can find it harder to access public services than the general population because of frequent moves, extended periods away and a lack of familiarity with support available.

We also learned more about Forces Connect South East, a project of the South East’s upper tier authorities and the NHS, that is the first of its kind in the country.  This is a two-year Ministry of Defence Armed Forces Covenant-funded programme, aimed at making it easier for servicemen and women and their families, as well as reservists and veterans, to access public sector services, such as healthcare, housing, schools, financial advice and support to find jobs.

This scheme involves training hundreds of front-line staff across our region to meet the needs of armed forces personnel, plus developing an app to make it quick and easy for members of the forces to find the right support and establishing a mentoring programme to help those making the transition from military to civilian employment.  No one must ever be disadvantaged by serving our country and it’s good to see we are making progress.

Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group

29th June 2022