New funding to support Peterborough and Cambridgeshire military veterans

The funding for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority by the Government will be used to support veterans across the whole area.

The money can be put to use quickly via Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council working closely with all district councils through their Armed Forces Covenant Development Officer, who coordinates activities to support veterans across all constituent councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The officer is funded via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.

Some of the money received has already been earmarked to meet an identified need to support veterans in Peterborough who attend the Light Project Peterborough’s Garden House scheme, which supports homeless people in the area.

The funding, which has only been offered to mayoral authorities, will also be used to better identify how many veterans are at risk of homelessness across Cambridgeshire.

Mayor James Palmer, leader of the combined authority, said: “It is very welcome that the combined authority was able to secure this money to help those who have risked their lives to serve our country.

“Homelessness or risk of homelessness among our veterans is something we must all work together to avoid, and it is important that we are able, through our partners, to put this money to use straight away.

“This funding is yet another example of how devolution and the creation of the combined authority has resulted in securing funding that would otherwise have not been available.”