Former sailor is set to be new veterans’ champion

A DECORATED veteran and former city councillor is set to be appointed the new champion for the armed forces and veterans.

In November 2011, Glasgow became the first local authority to sign a pledge to provide local support to services personnel and their families.

Two years earlier the council developed Glasgow’s Helping Heroes as a one stop shop for veterans who were looking to live or relocate to the city.

It offers housing, employment and training advice, help with benefits, debt, money and access to health, mental health and addiction services.

Since then it has provided support to more than 1700 veterans, helped 1118 get a rented home, helped more than 1000 gain employment or training, supported almost 478 to access health and addiction services and helped veterans and their families secure more than £10.8m of cash.

On Thursday, members of the city council’s executive committee will be asked to appoint former SNP Springburn councillor Phil Greene, pictured right, as the veterans’ new champion. He served as a councillor between 2007 and 2017.

A report to councillors says: “His personal experience as a child in care with a progression through the youth and adult justice systems proved a hard training ground filled with relevant life experience that helped mould the man.

“He is a decorated veteran with several years naval service in both the Royal and Merchant navies.

“He was founder and director of the charity People in Need which for 15 years which specialised in the delivery of aid and numerous projects in ex-communist Europe and in the numerous Balkan wars of the 1990s.

“On retiral in 1996 he set up a number of commercial enterprises with offices throughout the UK.”

If councillors agree, Mr Greene will be veterans’ champion for two years.