Over 2,500 Veterans in Crawley are set to benefit from a transformational new Veterans Strategy as Labour announces plan to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve and have served.

New support hubs will help improve local veterans services. Centres will offer guidance and support in health, housing and employment, and may extend to finance, wellbeing, and integration into society.

The local centres will fundamentally transform how assistance is provided, offering the first coordinated national network of support centres. The centres will connect to a new Valour headquarters within the Ministry of Defence, with regional centres and field officers working in communities.

The Government is also committing to a new £12m fund for veterans’ housing and extending Operation Fortitude. These programmes will deliver three years of support services for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, fulfilling the Prime Minister’s pledge that homes will be there for heroes.

Delivering on the Labour’s Plan for Change, the new strategy recognises veterans as national assets, whose unique skills strengthen communities, boost the economy and enhance national security. The strategy is built on three priorities: celebrating those who have served, harnessing veterans’ skills, and ensuring effective support for those who need it.

Crawley MP Peter Lamb said:

“Crawley is a town where we are proud to support current and former members of the armed forces. During my time as a councillor I helped secure the Armed Forces Covenant and introduced the Veterans Interview Scheme at the council.

“Yet, we know support at the national level has often fallen short, which is why I am delighted that the new Government has taken the decision to bring forward this Veterans’ Strategy with extra funding behind it, to help pay back some of what we owe to our service community.”

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

“The first duty of government is to keep our country safe, and that is only possible through the extraordinary men and women in our Armed Forces.

“Our nation owes a duty to those who have served, and this new Strategy recognises veterans as one of our greatest assets.

“Today’s announcements will boost support for veterans across the UK, from better healthcare to housing to jobs. Our message to veterans and the Armed Forces community is simple: we are on your side.”

Key points of the Veterans Strategy include:

£27m released from the £50m VALOUR system, to ensure veterans have easier access to essential care and support through a network of innovative new support hubs. Centres will

offer guidance and support in health, housing and employment, and can extend to finance, wellbeing, welfare and integration into society. Labour will end the fragmented support services which veterans have faced for too long.

Working to end veteran homelessness with a new £12m fund for reducing homelessness and extending Op FORTITUDE – including a dedicated wraparound service for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, to ensure they have access to specialist support for employment and independent living.

Delivering support services for veterans including a dedicated wraparound service for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, to ensure they have access to specialist support for employment and independent living.

Investing in world-class, veteran-specific NHS support: making sure that the armed forces community gets healthcare that fully understands their needs.

A clean-energy jobs pilot, helping veterans develop the skills they need to do the jobs of the future.

Extending Nuclear Test veteran medals to those all those who served in French and Chinese testing recognising the extraordinary sacrifice of those brave service personnel.

A new £350,000 competition to recognise and celebrate women veterans including a new women veterans forum

We have launched a £75 million LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme to recognise the historic wrongs experienced by LGBT veterans in the Armed Forces. We have increased the total amount available for payments up to £75 million, significantly above the level recommended in the Etherton Review.

And we have delivered on our manifesto commitment to make the Veterans’ Card an accepted form of voter ID.

The Veterans Strategy comes after Labour launched our Defence Housing Strategy, the most comprehensive plan ever set out for the renewal of forces family housing and development of Defence land. The outstanding men and women of our Armed Forces deserve homes fit for heroes – that’s what Labour will deliver.

We are getting on with the job of delivering for our commitments to Service personnel by putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law and extending the provision, to ensure no one who is serving or has served is disadvantaged by their service.