Stockport Labour are supporting the Royal British Legion’s ‘Count Them In’ campaign to include more detailed questions about our local Armed Forces Community on the next census which is due in 2021.

Labour Councillor Maureen Rowles, who is proposing a motion at the Council Meeting on 30th June, said ‘As somebody with first-hand experience of serving in our armed forces, I understand just what a valuable contribution our military community here in Stockport and across the country make.

‘The Council and other public bodies have a duty of care to our Armed Forces Community and that they should not face disadvantage when accessing local services and actually in some cases they deserve special consideration, especially when they have given the most.

‘In order to deliver our commitments in Stockport’s Armed Forces Covenant, more reliable data on our Armed Forces Community would be extremely helpful, and the 2021 census provides a unique opportunity for the nation to produce this comprehensive snapshot.

‘I am supporting the Royal British Legion’s call for Parliament to include a new topic in the 2021 census that concerns military service and membership of the Armed Forces Community when they approve the final census questionnaire in 2019.’

Stockport’s obligations to the Armed Forces Community in the planning and provision of services are enshrined in the Council’s own local Armed Forces Covenant which was endorsed by the Council meeting of 25th April 2013.

Jenni Martin, Acting Area Manager of The Royal British Legion in Manchester and Lancashire, said ‘As a nation we promise to provide lifelong care and support for those who serve our country.

‘By adding questions to the 2021 UK Census we can help public bodies and charities deliver the best services they can for our Armed Forces community where they are needed most.

‘It’s time to make the next census count for our Armed Forces community – we count on them, lets count them in.’

The Royal British Legion estimates that there are currently between 6.5 and 6.7 million members of the Armed Forces Community living in the UK, accounting for around one in ten people.

Despite this large community the 2011 UK census contained just two questions related to the Armed Forces and failed to collect information on veterans and their dependents.