HAMPSHIRE council chiefs have joined forces with the Ministry of Defence to launch a new telephone helpline for veterans, serving personnel and their families.
The aim is to provide a one-stop shop for information and advice about services such as healthcare, housing and education as well as help with transport for the disabled such as Blue Badge schemes.
Hampshire is the second county council to pilot the Welfare Pathway scheme after Kent. The aim is to roll out the project across the country in 2011.
Hampshire is home to about 20,000 people employed by the Army, Navy, RAF and MOD.
At the launch in Winchester, Veterans’ Minister Kevan Jones presented council leader Councillor Ken Thornber with a Veterans’ Badge. Cllr Thornber served as a lance corporal in the Royal Army Medical Corps during two years National Service.
Mr Thornber said: “We have in Hampshire the largest contingent of the Armed Forces in the country. Service men and women are an important part of the wider Hampshire community and the county council is immensely proud to be at the forefront of delivering local services to the Armed Forces community.”
Bill Bates, of the Royal British Legion, welcomed the scheme, saying: “If anyone is not quite sure where to turn to, they will hopefully be pointed in the right direction to get the help they need from local authorities.”
He said younger veterans helped by the charity were often in need of jobs and housing while older ex-service men frequently asked for electric wheelchairs or scooters.
Major Gary Hedges, 25, is a member of the Territorial Army whose day job is working for the county council as a “safe routes for schools” engineer.
The father-of-one, who did a tour of Iraq in 2007, said: “I think it is fantastic. There is so much information out there but like all big organisations the problem is communication.
“Something as simple as a telephone number could make a big difference.”
• The single free national telephone helpline is 08000 223366. There is also the HantsDirect on 0845 603 5630.
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