It is always poignant on Remembrance Sunday when we remember those who paid the ultimate price when serving our country in the Armed Forces. Seeing His Majesty The King leading the remembrance as our king for the first time was especially poignant, not only because we have always associated our beloved late queen with leading the nation on this day, but because it was only eight weeks earlier when her funeral procession had passed the Cenotaph.
As a country, remembrance for those lost remains strong. Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day are well-observed and it is widely recognised that the commemoration events are done well.
In recent years, there has been greater recognition that our veterans can have different and more complicated challenges in life than the general population upon leaving the Armed Forces. Good progress has been made and in 2019 the Conservative Government created the Office for Veterans' Affairs as part of the Cabinet Office, and I was personally very pleased to see that last month, our new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak appointed Johnny Mercer MP back into the role as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. Attending Cabinet, Johnny Mercer is well-regarded for his own military experience and his championing of veterans’ causes.
Last week, the government launched the first ever UK-wide and government-funded survey for veterans and their families. It will last 12 weeks and was launched alongside the Office for National Statistics’ release of Census 2021 data on our veteran population.
The intention is for veterans themselves to help shape the future of veteran services. Funded and commissioned by the Office of Veterans’ Affairs, this is the first ever exercise to collect feedback from the entire veterans’ community across the UK.
This survey is being run in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics. It asks veterans to describe their experiences of being a veteran and of using government services. In case any veterans locally in Crawley are not aware of this survey, I’m pleased to have this opportunity to highlight it. An online search of “veterans survey UK” brings up the link as the first option.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
16th November 2022
