Support our hero's says Moortown councillor

10.21.00am GMT Thu 1st Nov 2007

Cllr Brenda Lancaster

Cllr Brenda Lancaster has made a passionate plea for politicians of all parties to back the British Legion's Honour the Covenant Campaign.

Councillor Brenda Lancaster (Lib Dem, Moortown) said:

"If men and women put themselves at risk for their country, their efforts, commitment and bravery should be rewarded with the 'duty of care' that they and their families deserve.

"Present commitments demand more and more of our armed forces. We see repeated evidence of our serving men and women being overstretched, shortages in essential equipment and desperate pleas for greater financial backing.

"The current Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is inadequate and does not compare with the provisions and schemes of other public sectors.

"The system does not take into account the overall impact of the injuries on the quality of life or subsequent care requirements; compensating for the most serious injuries and paying much smaller amounts for those considered to be minor.

"The mobile lifestyle of the military takes its tolls on families who end up moving at regular intervals and get placed at the bottom of health waiting lists for dentists and doctors. This requires greater attention to ensure that service families are not penalised when moving to a new area.

"A particular concern is the support in place for mental health care as this will prove to be a much greater problem as the psychological casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan become apparent.

"The Honour the Covenant campaign encourages MPs to meet with local members of the British Legion to discuss their concerns. I would urge all Leeds' MPs to do this, to listen to the experiences our soldiers, sailors and Air force men and women, to get a true picture of the difficulties they face."