Sylvia Heal

Labour Party | Halesowen and Rowley Regis

Sylvia Heal welcomes Government support for Armed Services

Sylvia Heal MP has welcomed a number of Government measures to support our Armed Forces currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Council Tax relief has now been extended to all Armed Forces personnel deployed on operations overseas – those who normally pay council tax will now benefit from a tax-free rebate. And eligibility for the popular Veterans Badge has also been extended to all veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The popular free postal service for families of our Armed Forces personnel, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, has been extended beyond the Christmas period. In the run up to Christmas, around 100,000 parcels a week were sent free of postage to around 14,000 frontline personnel, providing them with gifts, non-perishable food items and home comforts. Relatives and friends can take parcels weighing up to two kilograms to any of the UK's 14,150 Post Office branches for onward posting to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Royal Navy ships in the region.

Sylvia Heal MP said: “I am pleased that the Government has introduced these measures to help personal serving their country, they may seem like small changes but they will make a difference to the lives of our service men and women and their families.