Havant MP Alan Mak has declared his support for the Royal British Legion’s new “Count them in” census campaign, saying that “no veteran should be left out”.
The campaign seeks to place questions about the Armed Forces community on the next official census that takes place in 2021.
It is estimated that there are currently between 6.5 million and 6.7 million members of the Armed Forces community living in the UK, representing about a tenth of the population.
However, little is currently known about the exact numbers, location and needs of this group. Including new questions on the next census would provide public bodies, local authorities, and charities with valuable information to ensure they are able to deliver the best services they can for the Armed Forces community.
Mr Mak met with representatives of The Royal British Legion and veterans David and Bill to discuss the campaign in Parliament and agreed to back the new iniative.
Mr Mak said: “As a longstanding Royal British Legion volunteer, I am fully behind their new campaign to ensure veterans are not ignored by the census, or the public bodies that use the data. Armed forces veterans have sacrificed so much to protect our freedom and it is only right we give them the best help available. Our area is home to many veterans from all the Armed Services, so I want to ensure we understand where they live and what their needs are.
He added: “I encourage everyone to pledge their support to this excellent campaign. It cannot be right that our Servicemen and women, veterans and their families are effectively hidden from official statistics. We count on them – let’s count them in.”
Charles Byrne, Director-General of The Royal British Legion, said: “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, when and where it is needed most. We thank Alan Mak for adding his support to our campaign: together I’m confident that we can make the next census count for our Armed Forces community.”
Hampshire County Council also gave backing to the ‘count them in’ campaign. The county has one of the largest armed forces communities in the country with over 60,000 veterans, 20,000 serving personnel, 1,200 reservists and 4,000 civilians employed by the MOD.
To support the campaign visit www.britishlegion.org.uk/census, or people can post their own pledge of support on social media using the #CountThemIn hashtag.