North Yorkshire County Council is supporting a call from the Royal British Legion for the inclusion of additional questions in the next national census in 2021 about military service and membership of the armed forces community.
Access to this additional information would enable the County Council and other public services and charities to target their resources more effectively to help the armed forces community.
The County Council believes the information would improve its understanding of the needs of the armed forces community in the county, particularly in relation to current reservists and former members of the armed forces and their families. Other authorities are also backing the Count Them In campaign, including West Sussex County Council. North Yorkshire County Council leader Councillor Carl Les, who is also the County Council’s Armed Forces Champion, said: “I hope everyone can get behind this British Legion campaign to have questions in the next census about the armed forces community. The additional information would be very useful for us and partners locally, given the size of the armed forces community in the county.
“North Yorkshire is proud of the large armed forces community in the county – regular and reservist, serving and former members of the armed forces and their families. North Yorkshire is home to the country’s biggest army base at Catterick Garrison, with associated barracks at Ripon and Topcliffe; three RAF stations at Leeming, Linton on Ouse and Fylingdales; and the Army Foundation College near Harrogate.
“The County Council made a commitment when it signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2011 to support its armed forces community and we stand by that. The County Council works hard to ensure that its services meet the needs of local people, including members of the armed forces community.”
For more information about the Royal British Legion’s Count Them In campaign, visit
www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/count- them-in.