Chelmsford Lib Dem backs our armed services at conference

9.18.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 23rd Sep 2009

Liberal Democrats will honour the covenant

A proposal that Britain should better support its armed services has been passed at the Liberal Democrat conference. Chelmsford Lib Dem Stephen Robinson persuaded colleagues to extend the commitment to include former service personnel in the proposal.

The Liberal Democrats' new policy covers pay for current service personnel, and housing and health services for both current and former personnel.

Mr Robinson told Lib Dem colleagues at the conference: "We ask our armed forces to put their lives on the line but the country too often lets them down. When they leave, they often feel abandoned and health problems can occur many years later.

"They need and deserve our full support. Liberal Democrats will find the money to do this by cutting back spending on wasteful, 'big budget' equipment purchases."

The conference overwhelmingly passed the proposals, which are part of an ongoing campaign. To back the campaign and help spread the word, please visit http://www.nickclegg.com/ArmedForcesPay

The full text of the motion passed at conference, proposed by Nick Harvey MP and containing the addition by Stephen Robinson, is below.

Reaffirming the Military Covenant

Motion Moved by: Nick Harvey MP (Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Defence)

Amendment 1 (to add Section 4): Simon Hughes MP

Amendment 2 (to add Section 6): Stephen Robinson & Cllr Iain Donaldson

Conference notes:

i) The bravery, commitment and professionalism of Britain's Armed Forces, as demonstrated in deployments around the world, particularly Afghanistan and Iraq.

ii) The party's ongoing commitment to Armed Forces' welfare and wider defence policy, through Nick Harvey's paper Our Nation's Duty in 2007 and No Choice but Change by Sir Menzies Campbell QC MP, in 2008.

iii) That the mismatch between resources and expectations, coupled with high levels of overstretch, undermines the work of the armed forces and the success of operations.

iv) That over 60,000 serving personnel, including soldiers on the front line in Afghanistan, are paid less than the starting salary of a police officer or firefighter.

v) That years of neglect by successive Labour and Conservative Governments have left three-quarters of service family accommodation in England alone below the highest standard, with much of it in an unacceptable condition.

vi) That the psychological toll from service in Iraq and Afghanistan remains unquantifiable but will become increasingly apparent over the next decade.

Conference believes that:

a) Service personnel are the lifeblood of the Armed Forces and the country's most valuable military asset.

b) If the armed forces continue to be submitted to overstretch without proper resources, the country fails to honour the military covenant and endangers their effectiveness.

c) Military effectiveness depends upon the recognition and fulfilment of the obligations of the military covenant.

d) The 'duty of care' to service personnel and their families should be honoured, and the military covenant reaffirmed and restored.

Conference therefore calls for:

1. The basic pay of lower ranks and NCOs to be brought in line with equivalent police ranks, so that a private in Afghanistan is paid no less than a newly qualified police constable, funded through MOD staff restructuring.

2. A doubling in the number of forces' family homes refurbished from around 800 to around 1600 per year, halving the length of time it will take to achieve the highest grade, funded through reasonable reductions in senior armed forces officers in the MOD.

3. A review of the current arrangements for repair and maintenance of forces' accommodation with a feasibility study on returning to a warden system for military housing estates.

4. Members of the armed forces and their immediate family to be entitled to housing, within three months of their last date of paid service, in the local authority area where they last lived before signing up, and to be offered apprenticeships, other training or employment; and a review by the Ministry of Defence of the social outcomes for personnel leaving the forces.

5. The military covenant between the state, society and the army to be codified to guarantee real entitlements for service personnel of all three services and their families.

6. Proper medical provision for all current and former service personnel including:

a) Post-conflict debriefings.

b) The availability of counselling by specialist trained counsellors at any time in life, with particular emphasis on post-traumatic stress disorder.

c) Adequate facilities and funding for relatives to visit during hospital treatment and recuperation.

7. Reform to voting arrangements for service personnel so that they and their families can exercise their democratic rights.

8. Savings to be sought from fighter jet procurement and operational costs and invested in helicopters for Afghanistan to provide vital additional capabilities.

9. A full-scale Strategic Security and Defence Review.