Motion - Armed Forces and the Cost of Living Crisis

Motion as voted upon

Our armed forces have a long and proud history of service and dedication to this nation. From deployments to NATO’s eastern flank to keeping essential services running at home, service personnel continue to serve our country with courage and distinction. They are being let down by the UK Government. After a decade of real terms pay cuts, the cost of living crisis, and the delay to this year’s Armed Forces pay award we now see Service Personnel forced to use food banks[1], while forces charities and regimental associations continue to provide cost of living grants and food vouchers to veterans and their families[2].

Service personnel are routinely called upon to cover for a lack of resilience across the public sector and to provide cover for some essential services during industrial action. They do this in the dedicated and professional way we would expect from our forces. Without a right to strike it is the moral duty of their leaders to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant, and the responsibility of elected bodies to uphold their part of this obligation and insist that our service personnel and their families receive the support they need and deserve.

Therefore this council notes that:

· It is deeply concerning that service personnel are forced to turn to food banks.

· It is deeply concerning that forces charities and regimental associations continue to have to provide cost-of-living grants and food vouchers to veterans and their families.

This council believes that:

· We should condemn in the strongest terms the UK Government’s neglect of our service personnel.

This council calls on the UK Government to:

· Release the armed forces pay review board 2023/4 report and pay award that is already overdue.

· Provide additional basic financial support to service personnel by capping food and accommodation charges for the next 12 months.