Margaret Mullane Welcomes Labour’s New Veterans Strategy: “We have a proud service history in Dagenham and Rainham.”

Dagenham and Rainham MP, Margaret Mullane, has given her strong support to the Labour Government’s transformational new Veterans Strategy which includes £27 million for a new veteran-wide support service offering guidance and support for those who served. It will also establish a dedicated wraparound homelessness service and world-class NHS support for veterans. 

There are currently 7,241 ex-service men and women living across both Barking and Dagenham and Havering who are set to benefit from the new strategy.

Margaret told the Havering Daily: “We have a proud service history in Dagenham and Rainham, and I welcome the raft of new measures announced following Remembrance Day. The new Veterans Strategy is our way of ensuring that our heroes who have served, and are currently serving, get the recognition and support they so deserve. This is about renewing and strengthening the nation’s contract with those who put themselves in danger to keep us safe.”

A focal point of the new Veterans Strategy is the Armed Forces Covenant, which will be expanded in the upcoming Armed Forces Act 2026. The Royal British Legion have launched a campaign to ensure that as part of the Covenant, service compensation is not included in local authority means testing for support benefits. Margaret has written to both Barking and Dagenham and Havering Council in support of this initiative.

Building on the Veterans Strategy the LabourGovernment have also issued an additional £2 million in funding to the National Heritage Memorial Fund to support local communities in conserving and repairing war memorials. Concerns about the condition of War Memorials can be submitted here: https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/report/add/concern/

There is also a new a new national programme called VALOUR which is designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access the care and support they deserve. The programme will deliver £50m of funding over 3 years to establish a network of veteran focused centres to offer guidance and support in health, housing and employment extending to finance, wellbeing, and integration into society.

The Government is also committing to a new £12m fund for veterans’ housing. This will deliver supportfor veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, fulfilling the Prime Minister’s pledge that homes will be there for heroes. 

Margaret added: “This scale of investment will be a complete game changer for how we honour and support our veterans. I am also pleased to hear about the additional funds to upkeep our War Memorials. Over the years I have worked alongside both Barking and Dagenham and Havering Council to ensure the memorials in Dagenham Village, the Heathway, and Rainham are all at a standard worthy of the heroes they were established to commemorate.”

“We owe a duty to the extraordinary men and women in our Armed Forces, and this new Strategy recognises veterans as one of our greatest assets. The recent announcement in the wake of Remembrance Day will boost support for the 7,241 veterans across the local authorities I represent, from better healthcare to housing and to jobs. Our message to veterans and the Armed Forces community is simple: we are on your side.”

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