Legion thanks supporters for campaign victory
02 December 2009
With the help of members and supporters, The Royal British Legion has scored a major campaign victory which should help lift thousands of older veterans out of poverty.
In February 2009 the Legion's National President, General Sir John Kiszely, delivered some 25,000 petition postcards to Number 10 Downing Street as part of our Return to Rationing? campaign. The petition, featuring postcards from Legion branches and members of the public across the UK, called for the Government to rename Council Tax Benefit as a rebate.
Now, at the close of the parliamentary year, legislation has been passed to ensure that the Government will make this important change. This follows research which has shown that older veterans would be more likely to claim this crucial entitlement if it was called a rebate, rather than a 'benefit' 1. It also showed that three quarters of the public agree that renaming Council Tax Benefit as a rebate might help encourage more people to make a claim for it2 and that more than two thirds of the public believe that some people are ashamed to claim Council Tax Benefit, even if they are entitled to it.3 It has been estimated that up to 20,000 ex-Service pensioners could be lifted out of poverty following the change.
"We can't thank our members and supporters enough for the important part that they have played in ensuring that Council Tax Benefit will be renamed Council Tax Rebate," says Director General Chris Simpkins. "The petition was part of a programme of lobbying organised by the Legion to put pressure on the Government. The fact that the Government has now committed to make the change just goes to show how powerful we can be if we work together. Now we need members and supporters to help us ensure the Government announces as soon as possible a timetable for actually putting the change into effect. We know that for many veterans, it cannot come soon enough."
Please help us secure a Government commitment to a timetable for making this important change by writing to your MP, using the proforma letter on our Return to Rationing campaign page. You can find out who your MP is by ringing 020 7219 4272 and giving your postcode or by going to www.theyworkforyou.com. You can also email them via www.theyworkforyou.com.
See below for a full programme of parliamentary activity on the Return to Rationing? campaign, generated by the Legion's Public Affairs team:
- A House of Lords written Parliamentary Question asked with reference to the campaign, to ascertain what consideration the Government has given to ex-Service pensioners.
- Presentation of a petition of some 25,000 signatures to Number 10 Downing Street.
- An Early Day Motion tabled by MPs from all three parties and signed by over 60 of their colleagues.
- A Ten Minute Rule Bill proposed by Joan Ryan MP with cross-party support, to try and persuade the Government to rebrand Council Tax Benefit as a rebate.
- A parliamentary petition presented by Paul Burstow MP, requesting that the House of Commons urge the Government to rebrand Council Tax Benefit as a rebate (NB This was in addition to our petition.)
- An Adjournment Debate called by Paul Burstow MP, to try and persuade the Government to rebrand Council Tax Benefit as a rebate
- A written Parliamentary Question tabled by Frank Field MP, asking what the Department of Work and Pensions’ response was to the Return to Rationing? campaign.
- Several mentions of the campaign in a House of Commons debate on Armed Forces Veterans.
- A question asked by Joan Ryan MP at Prime Minister’s Question Time (NB The PM's reference to 'pension credit' is actually to 'Council Tax Benefit'.)
- Amendments tabled by Baroness Turner of Camden and the Government to the Welfare Reform Bill in the House of Lords
- Final Commons consideration of amendments
1 Ipsos MORI survey, June 2008
2 ComRes interviewed 1011 GB adults by telephone between 13 and 14 May 2009
3 ComRes poll May 2009
