Plan to help armed forces and their families in district

Members of Bradford Council’s executive will be asked to formally back the plan which will make it easier for serving armed forces personnel, their relatives and veterans to access help and support in areas such as health, housing and other services.

If members of the executive agree, when it meets at a later date, partners will be asked to sign an Armed Forces Community Covenant and agree to set up a working party to implement the plan.

Discussions have taken place between the council, military representatives and other voluntary and statutory agencies to find out the best way forward.

Work is already underway with voluntary organisations and public sector bodies like the health service, fire service, courts and probation service to help develop the covenant.

It will include a military and civilian partnership that meets to consider issues affecting the armed forces community.

Once the covenant is set up, local organisations could have access to Government grants of up to £250,000 to support the local armed forces community.

Bradford Council has already offered free use of sports centres for service personnel and ex-service personnel up to five years of leaving the forces.

The local authority has also appointed Coun John Ruding as Armed Forces Community Champion.

Bradford Council Leader, Coun Ian Greenwood, said: “Bradford has had a close relationship with the military for many years and a particularly close one with the local regiments. But we feel that it is important to recognise that relationship and take it further.

“There needs to be an understanding of the role that the military has in our society and more importantly the role that people have when they leave service and reintegrate into civilian life.”

Bradford already has close ties with the military. The 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, 212 (Yorkshire) Field Hospital (Volunteers) the 269 (West Riding) Battery, Royal Artillery (V), and the 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment, have all been granted the Freedom of the City.