Guidance

VAPC London: meeting minutes 19 June 2024

Updated 19 September 2024

Venue: Barclays Rise, 41 Luke Street, London EC2A 4DP with some members joining using Microsoft Teams

Time: 4pm to 5.30pm

1. Present 

• Robin Herzberg (FRH) – Chairman

• Victoria Bell (VB)

• Jim Blake (JB)

• Annabel Goulding (AG)

• Bishnu Gurung (BG)

• Larry Stone (LS)

• Frances Luczyc Wyhowska (FLW)

2. Apologies 

• Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE (CSPH)

• Adam Kurzeja (AK)

• Caroline Flynn Macleod (CFM)

• Charles Perrett (CP)

• Alpa Raja (AR)

• Brian Willmore (BW)

• Alex Woolgar-Toms (AWT)

3. Welcome 

The chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

4. Apologies for absence 

It was noted that CSPH, CFM, CP, AR, BW and AWT were unable to attend. AK had hoped to attend but had been unsuccessful with connecting by videoconference.

5. Minutes of 20 March 2024 meeting 

The minutes, which had been circulated, were approved and were ready to be sent to the Ministry of Defence (‘MOD’) for publication.

Action: FRH 

6. Matters arising

There were no matters arising.

7. Letter from the minister

FRH reported that he had received a letter from the Minister for Defence People and Families, Andrew Murrison, which he, inter alia, (i) thanked the members of the committee for their continuing commitment to the veterans’ community (ii) noted that a working group has been established to draft the statutory instrument needed to implement the provisions in the VAPC Act 2023 (iii) indicated that the priority for 2024 was capturing the lived experience of veterans and their families (iv) indicated that he regards the VAPC members as his “eyes and ears on the ground” (v) requests that our annual report to be “written as one national report which addresses key themes of veterans experience rather than a series of regional reports” and (vi) asks to hear about “instances of positive impact”, “good practice” and our view of the Armed Forces Covenant.

FLW said it was important that regional reports still be prepared so that the Minister was kept abreast of regional issues.

8. Proposed Statutory Instrument

FRH reported that, as mentioned in the letter from the Minister, a working group has been established to draft the statutory instrument needed to implement the provisions in the VAPC Act 2023. However, Ministry of Defence officials were awaiting input from ministers following various reviews before progressing the drafting.

LS expressed the view that the proposed statutory instrument should be the priority early in the next Parliament when business time would be short and it should focus on key headlines and functions; any detailed minutiae should follow later in a handbook.

BG suggested that, once the general election was over and a new government was in place, it would be helpful to hold a meeting with Ministers at an early stage to understand their policies.

AG mentioned that, if the Labour Party formed the next government, the Society of Labour Lawyers might be able to brief on the policies of the new government.

9. Next report to the minister

FRH reported that he awaited a timetable for submission of the next report, as there were a significant number of recommendations ready for submission. He understood, however, that the next report may not be due before February 2025.

FLW expressed concern about the delay and AG suggested that an interim report might form a useful part of the reading-in material for any new Minister.

10. Strategy development 

FRH reported that, in due course, a new VAPC members’ handbook would be prepared and would adopt many of the ideas in the original strategy document prepared by Stewart Blackburn and his team.

11. Performance Data

FRH reported on recent data relating to the War Pensions Scheme (WPS) and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). WPS relates to injury, illness or death before 6 April 2005 and AFCS relates to injury, illness or death after that date.

The committee expressed strong concerns about the length of time it was taking to get claims processed.

FLW noted with concern that increases in the tolerance level had been authorized but that limited progress had been made with reducing the absolute number of claims in the system.

AG said that there were lawyers available who would be prepared to work on a pro bono basis, albeit probably on behalf of the claimants, to help clear the backlog.

12. Reports from the common interest groups

FRH reported AR and FLW had agreed to join the health common interest group. Meanwhile, JB and AK had volunteered for the housing common interest group.

FLW reported that she had attended a meeting of the health common interest group but, as the matters discussed seemed to be largely NHS-related, she might not be the best person to represent the London VAPC.

FLW agreed to liaise with VB, with a view to VB considering whether she might take over from FLW on the health common interest group.

FRH reported that it was intended to arrange a meeting of the employment and transitioning group at which Colonel (Retired) Patrick Sensburg of the German Army would be the guest speaker. It was agreed that this meeting was likely to be of interest to members of other regional VAPCs as well as some senior contacts from outside the VAPC community.

13. Working with the Greater London Authority and London boroughs

LS reported on a meeting with Councillor Rex Osborn of the London Borough of Wandsworth on 15 May 2024.

14. Working with charities 

FLW reported on a recent meeting she and FRH had attended with “The Fighting Chance”, which supports veterans who need the teamwork, camaraderie and physical exercise involved in boxing training. She also reported on a meeting she had attended with “Hounds for Heroes”, which provides specially trained assistance dogs for disabled veterans, and with “Job Oppo”, which is a commercial organization helping veterans to find employment.

FLW reported that she was working with AK to arrange a meeting with “Veterans Aid” which, inter alia, supports veterans battling homelessness.

LS noted that there are huge numbers of charities, including military charities, with many overlaps and economic conditions which meant many were having difficulties maintaining the levels of revenue that they previously enjoyed. He said that, in this context, there was an urgent need for charities to support each other and possibly consider deeper collaboration, coherence and / or consolidation.

FRH report that he and FLW had attended the veterans’ drop-in at St Thomas’ Hospital on 21 May 2024 and that he continued to attend the monthly drop-ins at St Pancras Hospital, as well as the quarterly London Armed Forces Network (‘LAFN’) meetings.

15. Working with Greater London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association 

LS reported that there have been no further developments.

AG mentioned that she had contacts in the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association who might be able to help.

16. Meeting with the Labour spokesman on veterans’ affairs

FRH reported that he and FLW had met with Steve McCabe, the shadow spokesman on veterans’ affairs, on 18 April 2024, and had been encouraged by some new initiatives which the Labour Party was proposing. It was noted, however, that Steve McCabe was not standing at the general election.

BG confirmed that the Labour Party was fielding a significant number of veterans as candidates at the general election and that, as a former Mayor of Hounslow, he was ready to help make introductions to newly-elected Labour members of parliament where that would be helpful.

17. Any other business

VB reported that (i) the Royal Army Medical Corps intended to develop a veterans’ app but the initiative was currently in abeyance (ii) the Ministry of Defence was promoting initiatives to equip service leavers with tools for life so that they transition well and (iii) the Ministry of Defence was also promoting initiatives intended to promote wellness in service and to improve the lived experience of service personnel.

JB expressed the view that social services were a vital component of the support network available to veterans, that some veterans did not have adequate support from social services and that, where necessary, social workers should be allocated to veterans.

FLW reported that she continued to receive reports about veterans who had difficulty contacting one or more of the four Veterans Welfare Centres, at Norcross, Kidderminster, Gosport and Glasgow.

18. Date of the next meeting

It was agreed that the next meeting would take place at 16.00 on 18 September 2024 at Barclays Rise or by video conference.