Support our servicemen say Lib-Dems

OLDHAM’S Liberal Democrats are proposing to back the Royal British Legion’s campaign to give better support to our troops.

A motion to go before Wednesday’s Oldham Council meeting by councillors Mark Alcock and Val Sedgwick calls for the authority to urge the Defence Secretary and local MPs to support the legion’s manifesto.

It also requests that the council’s chief executive writes to the Royal British Legion to express support for the campaign, and that all councillors work within their own political parties to further its aims.

The RBL has been campaigning for the rights of current and former members of the armed forces since its formation in 1921.

Its manifesto wants changes to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme to make it fairer for injured soldiers and to keep it under continual, independent review.

It also calls for all accommodation to be brought up to the highest standard and health screening and monitoring for service personnel and vulnerable dependants to be introduced, along with more effective prevention and treatment strategies to tackle mental health problems and drug abuse.

It also demands funding for a specialist bereavement counselling service and independent legal advice to provide bereaved families with support and guidance, as well as an Independent Advisory Committee on Military Deaths to provide advice, review coroners’ recommendations and give families a voice.

It also wants better treatment for veterans and measures to tackle poverty among them.

Councillor Alcock said: “We applaud the help they give to ex-servicemen and their families.

“All servicemen put there lives on the line, and in many cases they die or are injured in the defence of our freedoms.

“We should be looking after these people when they return and also looking after the families of the people who don’t return.”

He added that it was a very important time to give support, saying: “We have many service personnel fighting to defend our freedoms in Afghanistan and very recently in Iraq.

“If council supports the motion we believe that it will send a loud message of support to all those serving and past service personnel who have given so much in our names.”

Councillor Sedgwick added: “Many of the people who have seen active service need extra support when they return and there should be a comprehensive screening programme to assess any extra needs they and their families need.”