Just 1.49% of Crawley’s veterans have received promised ID from Government

Just 40 veterans in Crawley have received Government ID cards to help them access the services they need. In 2019, the Government promised to provide every veteran in the UK with a card designed to provide speedy access to health, housing and charity services, but official figures confirm that of the 1.8 million veterans in England and
Wales, so far only 56,000 have received ID cards, a mere 3% of veterans since the promise was made.

In December, Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer promised to rollout all remaining ID cards by this summer. However, analysis conducted by the Labour Party also showed that at the current rate of delivery, it will take more than a century to give every veteran a card. To keep his promise, Mr Mercer needs to deliver 1.7 million in cards in the next three months, having handed out only a fraction of that so far.

Councils, like Crawley, work hard with the forces and local military charities to deliver on their community covenants with the armed forces, ensuring that current and former service people have access to the support they need on the ground. It is time the Government delivered on their end of the bargain and helped to ensure veterans receive the recognition they deserve.