Lisa Nandy MP: Labour is delivering for our Armed Forces community this Armed Forces week

As we celebrated Armed Forces Day in Wigan at the weekend I was thinking of them. I’m proud of what our Labour Government has delivered for service personnel in our first year of office. We’re rewarding their dedication and professionalism with the largest pay rise in over 20 years for our forces last year and another above inflation pay rise this year.

We’re bringing the military housing estate back into public hands, buying back 36,000 military homes, and investing more than £7 billion into military accommodation this Parliament. Fixing long-term decline, increasing urgent repairs and renovations and delivering homes fit for heroes.

The Armed Forces Community HQ, which provides excellent support to veterans, their families and carers in Wigan, estimates that the local Armed Forces community in our borough is around 22,000. We’re setting up a new UK-wide veteran support system, called VALOUR to ensure veterans can more easily access support for housing, employment, and health services.

Last month we launched our search for the UK’s first ever Armed Forces Commissioner - an independent champion for serving personnel and families and a direct point of contact to raise issues affecting service life such as housing, equipment and welfare.

We're overhauling outdated recruitment practices, providing more opportunities and jobs across the country and attracting the best talent to the forces. We are also getting more young people excited about a potential career in our Armed Forces whilst learning vital life skills by increasing our Cadet Force by 30% by 2030 through the Strategic Defence Review.

Our Labour Government is committed to turning the page on 14 years of Conservative failure on defence. We know that the need to reconnect Britain with serving personnel is more important than ever and we must strengthen links between our Armed Forces community and society.

Over 180 local events took place across the UK to mark Armed Forces Day this year, including the parade from Mesnes Park through Wigan Town Centre which I was privileged to attend on Saturday. Events like this showcase the best of our town and it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm on display for our current and former servicemen and women from across our communities.

In this new era of threat we must build society’s understanding of what the Armed Forces do to deter the threats we face and keep us safe, and we must honour those who served in decades gone by. This Labour Government is committed to our Armed Forces community.