Former Wisbech soldier backs calls for better armed forces funding
Councillors are due to discuss the move today
A former soldier from Cambridgeshire is telling us more funding is needed to help those with life after service.
Today, county councillors are due to discuss plans to call on the government to provide more financial support for those who serve and have served and their families.
Labour's Councillor Alex Bulat, who put the motion forward to full council, wants the authority to work "with our district partners and the government to secure sustainable funding for our Armed Forces Covenant officer role, which is essential to delivering the Covenant’s objectives locally."
The Armed Forces Covenant is a commitment to making sure that those who serve, have served and their families are treated fairly and not disadvantaged due to their service.
"It hit me hard"
Jonny Pearce from Wisbech served in The First Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment for 12 years before leaving the armed forces in 2010.
Two years later, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder - he's said it's not been easy to adapt after leaving the forces:
"I planned to serve 22 years; I had no other plans in place and one day, I got the dreaded letter to say I've been medically discharged and it hit me hard," he said.
"If I'm being honest, I ran away and I hid for a while.
"(Life is) getting harder; I have to count my pennies and make sure I can pay my rent and get enough food on the table, but no one whether you have or haven't served shouldn't be in that situation.
"Just surviving day to day can be waking up, deciding what you're going to wear, what you're going to eat, all those everyday decisions people take for granted become difficult because you've not had to make those decisions yourself and now you do."
What's in the motion?
In a report ahead of today's meeting, Cllr Bulat said "a decade of real terms pay cuts, the cost-of-living crisis and the delays to Armed "Forces pay award, is having a direct impact upon service personnel and their families".
Cllr Bulat added that service personnel do not have a right to strike.
Because of this, she said "it is the moral duty of their leaders to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant and the responsibility of elected bodies is to uphold their part of this obligation and insist that our service personnel and their families receive the support they deserve."
Cllr Bulat has also asked the county council's chief executive to ask the government on capping food and accommodation charges for the next 12 months and "an immediate review into armed forces accommodation charges, food charges and allowances."
The Cabinet Office and Cambridgeshire County Council has been approached for comment.
"Finances should be available for people that are struggling"
As well as more help for families, Jonny believes those that have served in the armed forces should feel more confident to ask for support.
"I think (funding) needs looking at; when you're in the army, spending time with your family is quite a cherished thing because you're away a lot of the time, but I think when you leave, the finances should be made available for people that are struggling," he added.
"In the army, if you're asking for help, although it can be good, it can also be seen as a weakness as well, so it's having the courage to take that step and say I need help."