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WHITEHALL

MPs reject call for army vet checks

Parliament has rejected calls for a duty on local public bodies to ask service users whether they are military veterans when accessing services.

Parliament has rejected calls for a duty on local public bodies to ask service users whether they are military veterans when accessing services.

MPs rejected the idea during the second reading of the Armed Forces Bill last week.

In written evidence, the Local Government Association warned that councils and local bodies could struggle to identify armed forces veterans or reservists who sometimes require additional support – for issues like drug and alcohol dependency – if they are not given better information. Ministers rejected the proposal as too onerous.

WHITEHALL

EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs push for councils to be viewed equally as Government seeks to rewire the state

By Dan Peters | 14 October 2026

Council chief executives have warned Whitehall that local authorities must be treated as equal partners as the Government plans to rewire the state.

WHITEHALL

Deferring maintenance is a decision, not a saving

By Adnan Qureshi | 12 October 2026

Adnan Qureshi says delaying work can be a perfectly rational decision when budgets are tight. The danger starts when a one-year deferral becomes a liability ...

WHITEHALL

Why complaints won't wait for reform

By Amerdeep Clarke | 07 October 2026

Amerdeep Clarke sets out four things councils can fix in adult social care today.

WHITEHALL

Breathing life into the air quality debate

By Daniel Grieve | 05 October 2026

Daniel Grieve says local action has cleaned England’s air, but councils now need funding and a framework to go further.

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