England is set to get a Veterans’ Commissioner following a successful campaign by the Royal British Legion, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) has confirmed.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland already have commissioners, leaving England as the only nation in the UK without somebody dedicated to advocating for the Armed Forces community.
To address this inequality, the Royal British Legion (RBL) launched a petition which received 1,400 signatures and was delivered to the Office for Veterans’ Affairs in December.
The OVA is now recruiting for the new role which, according to the job advert “will cover England and any veterans matters which are reserved to the UK Government and are not in the remit of the Devolved Administrations”.
Angela Kitching, director of campaigns, policy and research at the Royal British Legion, said: ”The RBL believes that the Veterans’ Commissioners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland play a key public role as an independent advocate and voice for the Armed Forces community in those nations.
“We are delighted that the Armed Forces community in England will now have that same advocate.
“We look forward to working with the new commissioner to ensure that the Armed Forces community in England, and across the whole UK, is receiving the support they need.
“I am grateful to all the RBL supporters who joined this campaign and helped make it a reality.
“Your voices have helped us make a real difference to the lives of veterans and their families.”