Pioneering spirit – Rochdale’s Armed Forces support

Councillor Alan McCarthy, Lead Member for the Armed Forces

Rochdale has been nationally recognised by the Ministry of Defence, Royal British Legion and others for introducing pioneering changes to better support armed forces personnel and their families back into civilian life.

Rochdale Council Leader Colin Lambert recently addressed the Public Policy Exchange in London to speak about the work taking place. He said he’s proud of what’s been delivered so far, but that getting a better understanding of the needs of Armed Forces families will be fundamental to its continuing success: “This is about putting words into actions. We are raising the profile within the council of the impact of decisions or policies on the Armed Forces. We’re also gathering information on our Armed Forces Community so we can better tailor our services to them.”

The council appointed Councillor Alan McCarthy as Lead Member for the Armed Forces and he’s been instrumental in driving forward the changes, lobbying central government and pushing for policy changes to address disadvantages Armed Forces families face.

Rochdale was the first council in the country to introduce a ‘guaranteed interview scheme’ – where ex armed forces men and women looking for work are guaranteed a job interview at the council providing they meet the person specification and job description and have been out of the Armed Forces for a minimum of six months. 

Rochdale offers serving armed forces personnel and veterans free use of Link4Life fitness facilities and swimming pools. 

Recognising achievement has also been key, and the council offers the families of fallen service personnel who have died in active duty the chance to have a street named after their loved one.

Via Rochdale Boroughwide Housing the council has also supported veterans in obtaining housing within the borough. Through the Charitable Trusts under the council’s support, the council was able to provide additional support to veterans by securing home appliances.

The council has obtained funding for a ‘Books on Prescription’ scheme, providing self-help books for the Armed Forces and their families and hope to roll it out nationally if successful.

Whilst the majority of service personnel receive campaign medals whilst still in the Armed Forces, if an individual leaves the Armed Forces before the medal can be issued, it is his or her responsibility to claim them from the Ministry of Defence Medal Office.

“As a result, there are still many veterans who have not received the medals to which they are entitled, so we are working with veterans to support them in completing and submitting application forms to obtain medals rightly owed to them. As soon as the Artic Star became available we promoted it and have assisted with many new applications.” said Councillor Alan McCarthy.

With WW1 centenary underway and Armed Forces Day on the horizon, the council and their partners are planning a series of events. Celebrations such as the recent homecoming parade for the Lancashire Fusiliers saw Rochdale town centre brought to a standstill and it’s that support that Councillor Colin Lambert agrees is the perfect example of just how much the Armed Forces means to the borough: “When you see people lining the streets you get a sense of how much this all means to people. I think we have a duty to support our Armed Forces for all they do for us. They have made great sacrifices in the name of our country, and Rochdale will continue to do all we can in return.”