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In the Spring Budget, the Chancellor confirmed a £33 million funding package to support veterans over the next three years.
Most significantly, we understand that £3 million in funding will be given to extend funding for veterans mobility, following a two-year campaign led by Help for Heroes and Blesma, The Limbless Veterans Charity – our post from yesterday. Since the Veteran Mobility Fund’s closure in 2021, we have jointly supported almost 200 eligible individuals with mobility grants, but the new funding will mean many more of our most seriously injured veterans can access life-changing specialist wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
A further £20 million of the funding package will go towards the Veteran Capital Housing Fund – a project that will provide extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and the refurbishment of social and charitable housing for veterans.
The remaining £10 million will go to the Office for Veterans' Affairs to increase the service and engagement provided to veterans over the next two years
Our Reaction to the funding
In a Joint Statement, our CEO James Needham and Jon Bryant, Blesma, The Limbless Veterans CEO, said:
“We are delighted that our campaign for funding for veterans mobility has been successful and this vital support for our wounded veterans has been recognised at the top of Government.
"The difference that appropriate and timely provision can make to injured veterans’ quality of life is hugely significant. Over the last two years, Help for Heroes and Blesma have worked tirelessly to support veterans with their specialist mobility needs and to build the case for the continuation of the Veterans Mobility Fund so that this provision is guaranteed. It is a great relief that the UK Government will once again meet its Armed Forces Covenant commitment of ‘special consideration’ for veterans with serious physical injury resulting from their Service.
"We now await more information from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs about how the funding will be administered but we hope to be closely involved in the process to make the funding as accessible as possible for veterans in need.”
Our response to the budget package
Commenting on the overall Budget Package, our CEO James Needham, said:
"We warmly welcome the package of funding for veterans set out by the Chancellor, not least the £3 million which will be given to extend funding for veterans mobility, something we’ve worked tirelessly over the last two years to get reinstated.
Having successfully campaigned for its creation, we also welcome that additional funding will go to the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to increase the service and engagement provided to veterans, and that more is being done to end rough sleeping. We now look forward to seeing more of the detail behind how these policies will be set out."
CEO
"In the meantime, we continue to be actively engaged with the Government in our efforts to address vital gaps in provision for veterans and their families. Demand for our services isn’t going away and it has become clear that the cost-of-living crisis and strains on public healthcare have had a significant impact on those we support. We also believe that many challenges stem precisely at the point of transition and if we are serious about ensuring better long-term outcomes for those who leave the military as a direct consequence of their injury, that is where the focus and investment must be.”
More recently, 30,000 of you supported our petition to extend the Veterans Mobility Fund: a fantastic effort. Thank you for your part in this victory.
The difference that appropriate and timely provision can make to injured veterans’ quality of life is significant. Matt, an Army veteran suffered traumatic amputation of multiple limbs in Afghanistan in 2009. As a triple amputee, Matt cannot use prosthetics and relies on his bespoke power chair for independence. However, as his power chair was supplied by the Ministry of Defence, the NHS will not repair it, even though he has been able to use the Veterans Mobility Fund to fund vital repairs in the past. Matt said, “To many it may just appear to be a wheelchair, but it is so much more, it represents what little independence I have.”
Jonathon, 59, an Army veteran, who was injured on duty 25 years ago. Having the right wheelchair is critical for him to get around. He is paralysed from the top of the chest, together with severe injuries to his legs, so requires a lightweight bespoke chair. This is something the Veterans Mobility Fund would have previously been able to fund.
The introduction of the Veterans Mobility Fund a few years ago was a game changer. For the first time I felt that the Government really understood the exorbitant cost of equipment for those of us with serious service attributable injuries. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to learn that the Fund has ended.”
Veteran
Like many others, Jonathon has had to request charity grant funding for his new wheelchair, but the additional funding for veterans mobility will be of a big relief to many others who require ongoing support.
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