Charter for service personnel and veterans passed unanimously

A motion setting up a Charter for service personnel and veterans was unanimously passed at the January meeting of City Council.

Councillor Lawrence Hunter spoke in support of the Motion and was delighted to know that colleagues were happy to vote in favour of this important step. The Motion said, "Council recognises the debt that the country owes to members of HM Armed Forces who have served this country in past and present conflicts. Sadly many ex-servicemen and women find themselves unable to reintegrate into civilian society in the way they would wish to. Ex-service personnel have a lot of skills and experience to offer society, yet too many have problems with their mental health, substance abuse and the criminal justice system."

A former serviceman himself, Lemington Councillor Lawrence Hunter has worked hard as a member of the Council's Health and Well-being Scrutiny Panel to draw attention to the difficulties faced by former service personnel. Lawrence has worked on this with all 12 North East Councils and with representatives of the Armed Forces and the agencies and organisations that help former service personnel

Lawrence said "Newcastle has a long tradition of providing men and women for the armed forces. We know that there are now thousands of people living in Newcastle after a career in the services. Many of them settle well into civilian life, but for some the process is far from easy. I hope that the Council, HM Forces, the helping agencies, businesses, the voluntary organisations, communities and indivaluals can work together to help and support our service personnel and veterans."