The national census is vital in securing support for Armed Forces veterans and their families, according to Local Armed Forces Champion and Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Alex Baxter.
The national census – dubbed Census 2021 – is set to take place in March.
In an interview, the Managing Director of the Armed Forces Major Events Team (AFMET), said: “The national Census is once-in-a-decade snapshot of the population. It gathers data about who lives where, what industries dominate an area, what the financial income of those households looks like”.
It is also extremely important for veteran support organisations and charities to know which areas our Armed Forces Community reside given this particular census will assist in pinpointing where support for our local military community is most needed.
“This will also be valuable given changes to the Armed Forces Bill currently going through Parliament, which we believe will place a statutory duty on Local Authorities who will need to understand how this might affect the way in which the Armed Forces Community accesses public services, and how their requirements may differ from those of their local civilian counterparts.
“We’ve have also done a lot of work through the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees across the United Kingdom to ensure that the upcoming census included a question about whether people have served in the regular or reserve branches of the Armed Forces.
“I would encourage all veterans and service families living in our area to make sure they complete the Census in March and tick the relevant box to show they they have served.”
To find out more about Census 2021, visit census.gov.uk or check out Census 2021 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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