Guidance

VAPC London: meeting minutes 21 April 2021

Updated 22 March 2024

Present

• Bill Charles (BC) – Chairman
• Heather Betts (HB)
• Lynn Calame (LC)
• Roger Hood (RH)
• Nick Sharpe (NS)
• Matthew Seward (MS)
• Jim Blake (JB)
• Caroline Flynn Macleod (CFM)
• Robin Herzberg (FRH)
• Carl Hunter (CH)
• Oliver Leeming (OL)
• Rebecca Lefort (RL)
• Nick Mazzei (NM)
• Matthew Neeve (MN)
• Larry Stone (LS)
• Charles Perrett (CP)
• Annabel Goulding (AG)
• Marion Knight (Secretary) MK

Apologies

• Alex Woolgar Toms (AWT)
• Wendy Morris (WM)
• Ken Courtenay (KC)
• Andrew Ross (AR)
• Jim Evans (JME)
• Frances Wyhowska (FW)

Welcome and introductions of new members

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Outgoing members RH & LC wished the committee all the best and welcomed new members.

New members, CFM, FRH, CH, OL, RL, NM, MN,LS,CP and AG introduced themselves.

Apologies for absence

AWT & WM, KC, JME AR & FW. BC will call FW after the meeting personally as she had been unable to access the call today.

Further appointments

There was a general discussion about any further appointments to the Committee.

Declaration of interest

The Chairman reminded Committee members that they must declare any interest arising out of their personal/business life which could conflict with LVAPC business. No declarations were made.

Minutes of 15 December 2020 meeting

The minutes had been circulated and approved following the meeting of 15TH December 2020 and were now published by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The functions issues, statutory change and terms of reference

BC spoke to the paper circulated on the “functions issue” and so the lack of a statutory function directed to all veterans. The circulated Way Ahead and proposed Terms of Reference (TOR) address this. The proposals had Ministerial support and access to the Veterans’ Minister is of key importance. The recent resignation of Jonny Mercer means that the issues will have to be addressed with his successor.

Hopefully ministerial commitment to amendment of the empowering legislation through the Defence Reform Act will remain as will support for the proposed TOR pending that amendment and a new Statutory Instrument (SI).

CFM explained she would be delighted to try and set up links with the relevant Ministers and MPs – BC and CFM to have a sperate conversation with regards this, along with NM who has some strong links with current members of Parliament.

MS noted that the Queen’s Speech may confirm whether there will a Defence Reform Bill.

If the existing commitment to the solution to the functions issue does not remain members will need to decide what, if any, action they should take in respect of that issue. At present the committee will proceed on the basis that the existing commitment will continue.

Organisation and approach of the committee

A general discussion took place on this agenda item

BC - Important that we take a flexible approach, all members are involved in work which they are most interested in and that the committee makes best use of their time and utilises the wide range of expertise they have.

The focus of the Committee on London is important as RH stated at the beginning, but the themes of the Veterans’ Strategy engage national organisations and issues.

BC reported on a meeting he had had with Alex Page (Renewing the Armed Forces Covenant in the Capital) and Bruce Holborn (Royal British Legion)) and the overlap between the work on the Covenant, the issues raised in the mayoral election manifesto issued by Royal British Legion (RBL) and the thinking behind the survey of AFCs in the boroughs that had been suggested.

BC explained that he supported an initiative through which the committee assisted and co-operated with Alex Page in promoting the application of the Armed Forces (AF) Covenant by the boroughs – who she has divided into clusters.

CP raised points on other organisations working with the boroughs and regionally and provided contact details to BC relating to them. He has sat on several committees with Alex Page and it was thought sensible to ask Alex Page to invite him to attend with BC the forum of AF champions she is organising.

Drafts of a framework for national VAPC engagement and the organisation of South East VAPC by reference to groups addressing the themes in the Veterans’ strategy had been circulated. There may be some tension between this approach and one to the boroughs because their AF champions are engaged with all the themes of that strategy as they affect their borough. Also, various themes will be likely to affect individuals e.g., mental health problems could co-exist with debt and housing problems.

BC explained that LVAPC needs to demonstrate to the Minister and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) that by implementing the Way Ahead we are adding value to the achievement of the government aim to make the UK the best place for a veteran to live.

The report from VETS UK on Veterans Welfare Services (VWS) and Defence Transition Services (DTS) was discussed, and it was noted that it did not provide much information on success or failure in the performance of the work described and that this was information that would assist LVAPC to perform the functions set out in the Way Ahead. Turn round times in the administration of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) claims is something that BC has raised with Vets UK and he has offered to take part with HB in the work planned by Vets UK on them and their performance targets. HB raised her long relationship with Vets UK, and their lack of resource. FRH mentioned his experience on performance issues relating to pension administration and offered to assist on this. At present this work is on hold at Vets UK due to other pressing issues (e.g., digitization) but BC will contact them again on this later in the year.

RL and AG – social media links suggested in the right forum.

MN asked the question with regards links with Veterans Gateway.

CFM knows David Hatcher, Chairman of the Veterans’ Gateway and will speak to him to understand whether there are ways VAPC might be able work with the Gateway.

Raising the profile of the committee with key organisations and individuals was discussed.

LS suggested a good foundation for our way forward discussion could include - to inform the Committee - a sort of ‘quasi-audit’ (list or matrix even) of: bodies with important veteran relationships in the London area; the key network/contacts of the Committee members; and the ‘best practice’ ideas of other regions where relevant.

There was a consensus that this was a preliminary discussion and that all members needed to think about how (a) they can best use their experience, contacts, interests etc. and (b) the committee should best work to perform the functions set out in the Way Ahead. BC suggested holding a meeting next month and that before it took place each member should, as they thought fit, make suggestions on these and other issues including ideas about LVAPC profile, connection with London Boroughs and other veterans’ organisations, providing information to the Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) and the Minister and identify projects they would like to be involved in.

NS offered to pull these suggestions together in a digital presentation in advance of the meeting and members were invited to get their suggestions to him a week before that meeting.

NS and MK to circulate information for a meeting during May.

Induction/training of new members

BC explained that there would be some central training organised for new members in some form.

BC suggested that Individual Committee members had been appointed because of their skills, expertise and experience which have “trained” them for the role but that they should let him know about any training or information they would like.

Updates on housing project ETC

BC explained we are still waiting to see whether the student gets financing for the housing project.

BC had attended the user group organised by War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Committee (WPAFCC).

AOB

BC reported the LVAPC Bank Account had been reduced to zero by a transfer of its credit balance (£130) to the Royal British Legion who had thanked us for it.

BC will update the committee on the progress with the proposed TOR and the implementation of the Way Ahead from time to time.