Councils to ask military for advice on services

COUNCILS ACROSS West Yorkshire are asking members past and present of the Armed Forces for guidance on how local authority services can be improved to support them.

All five authorities in the region have come together to create a survey for those who have served in the Armed Forces.

It comes after after Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield Councils all signed the Armed Forces Covenant, a pledge to support past and present members and ensure they are doing what they can to support them.

They are now asking those who have served the country to take part in the survey to understand how they can better support the Armed Forces community.

The survey aims to find out what services are being accessed, both for mental health and financial support, as well as how easily accessible said services were.

Coun Joanne Dodds, of Bradford Council, who is Armed Forces Champion for the district, said it was important to find out more about the issue.

She said: “The Armed Forces Covenant is a pledge to ensure that our current and former armed forces personnel are able to access the support they need from their local authorities and other organisations.

“It is crucial to find out whether this is working.

“If you’re a member of the Armed Forces Community, I would encourage you to respond to the survey.

“It is only through your feedback that we can find out whether there are areas to improve.”

Feedback from the survey will be used to shape and continue improving support available for Armed Forces members in West Yorkshire.

It can be accessed online at https://surveys.bradford.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s. asp?k=156992442031 and needs to be completed by Saturday February 29.