Wednesday 18 February 2009

Oxfordshire supports the Armed Forces

For the second year running Oxfordshire County Council have put aside £100,000 for the benefit of service personnel living in the county.
The main purpose of the fund is to help servicemen and women and their families during the transition from military to civilian life. The money also helps to meet the costs of staging homecoming parades and medal ceremonies: last year, for example, OCC supported the highly successful Didcot parade when hundreds of local people turned out to salute 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment, RLC on their return from Iraq and Afghanistan.
The fund was also used for improvements at RAF Benson and RAF Brize Norton and at Army sites in Abingdon, Bicester and Didcot, including the refurbishment of community centres used by military families.
Council leader Keith Mitchell said: “Last year’s £100,000 will have made a small difference to their day-to-day lives and will have helped with the all-important recognition that is afforded by homecoming parades and the like. However, every little helps and we have decided to repeat the funding as a token of the gratitude people feel for the efforts of our locally-based armed forces.”
A Southend resident commented: "It's good to see Council Tax being spent on something worthwhile for a change; here in Southend it just used to line the pockets of private consultants."
Nice one, Oxford!