'Your service matters': Wolverhampton Council declares military service a 'protected characteristic'
Wolverhampton Council has unanimously voted to declare military service a 'locally protected characteristic'.
The resolution was passed at last night's (Wednesday, July 16) meeting of the city council, with the support of both the Labour and Conservative groups on the council.
It means serving personnel and veterans in the city will enjoy the same special protections under the Equality Act as people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, sexual minorities, and religious groups when it comes to their dealings with the authority.
The motion was proposed by Councillor Obaida Ahmed, cabinet member for health, wellbeing and community, who said military life often meant frequent relocation, disrupted schooling for their children, barriers to healthcare and challenges finding stable employment.
"By enshrining this recognition locally, we're sending a clear message to the armed forces community that your service matters, and so does your future."
"We're embedding this commitment into how we design our services and how we make decisions and how we listen. This is about fairness. It's about ensuring that when someone transitions from military to civilian life, they are met with dignity, not bureaucracy, that their voices are not only heard but acted upon."
Councillor Ben Evans said there were more than 5,000 veterans in Wolverhampton, and they were twice as likely to report being in poor health as non-veterans, and were also more likely to suffer from disability.
"We will listen to their stories, understand their challenges and act on their needs," he said.
Councillor Andrew McNeil, of the opposition Conservative group, said the council did an excellent job at promoting veterans, and he welcomed the events that were held for them, and enjoyed meeting people from the forces communities.
But he said there was a need for processes to be put in place to ensure that the privileges were not abused by bogus veterans.
"I would just ask that we have suitable governance processes in place to ensure that that recognition are to those who actually served in the armed forces and were real veterans, because there have been instances across the country where people have impersonated such people or made claims otherwise, and we just need to ensure that that doesn't happen here."
Councillor Richard Burden, of the ruling Labour group, said it was particularly difficult making the transition from forces to civilian life, and veterans needed support with doing things they have never previously had to do in life.
"I hope this goes on to make an incredible, tangible improvement for veterans in our city, people who have risked an enormous amount risk the most for our security," he said.
Councillor Jaswinder Dehar expressed her 'deepest gratitude to the brave men and women of our armed forces'.
Councillor Simon Bennett, leader of the Conservative opposition, said Wolverhampton had always been proud of its connection to the armed forces.
"By treating the armed forces community as a protected characteristic in our equality impact assessments, we are saying clearly this community matters and their unique challenges must be considered in every policy, every service and every decision."
Council leader Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of the council, said: "This is not just a policy for policy making, it's a promise. A promise to recognise, protect and uplift our armed forces community.
Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Craig Collingswood, who is also chairman of the city's armed forces covenant board, said 40 per cent of veterans had a disability and 15 per cent suffered from poor health, twice that of the regular population.
"By recognising our armed forces community as a locally protected characteristic we are not only honouring their service, we are ensuring that our heroes have the dignity, security and support they deserve in the very country they fought to protect.
"Our armed forces community has sacrificed so much for us. Yet too many return to lives marked by broken education, lost job opportunities, poor health, and the struggle to find a place to call home.
"These are not just challenges; they are injustices that we must address moving forward."
For more information about the Armed Forces Covenant, and the help and support that is available to members of the armed forces community in Wolverhampton, visit Wolverhampton Armed Forces.
