Support needed for Armed Forces community – Cllr Tim Douglas
Councillor Tim Douglas who represents the Liberal Democrats in Paddox Ward has raised the issue of the Royal British Legion's 'Count Them In' campaign to provide more information and support to our Armed Forces personnel.
Despite an estimated 1 in 10 of the UK population being members of the Armed Forces community, there's very limited information about where they are or what their needs might be.
The Royal British Legion's 'Count Them In' campaign aims to change this by adding new questions to the 2021 census to help improve our understanding of this unique community and ensure that politicians, charities and service providers fully meet the needs of serving personnel, veterans and their families.
Councillor Douglas asked the Leader of the Council on Thursday 19 July 2018 to outline what Rugby Borough Council is doing to support the campaign and bring about this important change to help those who have served our country?
The Leader responded by saying that Rugby Borough Council is signed up to the Warwickshire Armed Forces covenant and I am fully supportive of The Royal British Legion's 'Count Them In' campaign, which calls for questions on the Armed Forces community to be included in the next UK census.
He added that Officers are fully aware of the campaign and will give any support necessary from local government bodies such as ourselves, to help the campaign achieve its goals.
Commenting, Councillor Tim Douglas, said:
"From the data gathered in the last census we know more about the self-professed Jedi population in the UK than those who have served in Britain's military. This is a significant campaign from the Royal British Legion and it's vital that local authorities and politicians support it to bring about this important change to help those who have served from Rugby and across the country. We count on our armed forces - so let's Count Them in too."