Islington Council pledges to Count Armed Forces Community In

Islington Council has declared its support for The Royal British Legion’s ‘Count Them In’ campaign, which calls for questions on the Armed Forces community to be included in the next UK Census.

The council passed a motion at last week's Full Council meeting, formally supporting the campaign.

Cllr Gary Poole, Islington Council Armed Forces Champion, praised the courage, service and sacrifice of past and present members of the Armed Forces.

Little is known about the exact numbers, location and needs of the Armed Forces community – which includes current serving members, veterans and their families.

Including new questions on the next census would provide local authorities, charities and public bodies with valuable information to ensure they are delivering the best services for them.

Cllr Poole said: “I am proud that Islington Council has pledged support to this important campaign. It cannot be right that our servicemen and women, veterans and their families are effectively hidden from official statistics. We count on our Armed Forces community, so let’s count them in.”

Charles Byrne, Director-General of The Royal British Legion, said: “We thank Islington Council for adding its support to our campaign: together I’m confident that we can make the next census count for our Armed Forces community.”

To find out more about the campaign, see www.britishlegion.org.uk/census, or you can post your own pledge of support on social media using the hashtag #CountThemIn.