Information and advice for armed forces

If you or a family member has previously served in the armed forces, are currently serving, or are a reservist, there is support available to you in Westminster.

Westminster City Council's Armed Forces Champion, Cllr Mark Shearer, works with local partners to ensure our services respond directly to the needs of our armed forces community.

Remember, if you are part of the armed forces community (which includes being ex-armed forces or a close family member to someone who is serving), please mention this if you contact the council for advice or support.

Our dedicated mailbox for queries and matters relating specifically to the armed forces is [email protected].

Download the Forces Connect App on Apple or Android devices for access to many different support routes for serving and ex-serving personnel. For Westminster residents, select the ‘London North West’ region for support in your area.

Finance and employment

Advice on benefits and other finance matters is provided by the Westminster Advice Services Partnership. 

For support with employment and skills, the Westminster Employment Service is a free career and recruitment service for all Westminster residents. If you register, you will be supported by a team of coaches who will help address your barriers to employment and will provide you with training and work experience opportunities.

Military personnel who are in the process of leaving the armed forces should use the MOD’s Career Transition Partnership as their first port of call for post-military employment and careers.

For training and further education, the Westminster Adult Education Service offers full or part-time courses in subjects ranging from English as a Foreign Language, to accounting, hospitality, textiles, art & design and much more. 

For financial advice, the Royal British Legion Benefits and Money Advice Service provides dedicated advice for the serving and ex-serving community, and their dependents. The RAF Families Federation also has a useful financial section which helps members of the armed forces community navigate their financial options. 

There are also several other organisations that provide employment support for the armed forces community:

• Defence Relationship Management is the MOD agency which provides advice on the legal rights and responsibilities for organisations employing any members of the armed forces community, including reservists, military spouses and veterans. 
• Recruit for Spouses is an independent social enterprise that offers employment opportunities for the spouses of serving members of the armed forces.

Housing

Finding affordable housing in Westminster can be challenging. For guidance and support on affordable housing options, please talk with our Housing Solutions Service. This service can also help if you are at risk of losing your home, so it’s important to approach them early if you are facing difficulties. They can also assist if you are renting privately and are facing issues with your landlord, for instance around repairs, rent increases or other problems.

If you have recently served in the armed forces and are looking to rent in Westminster, you will have higher priority for many of our intermediate rented properties. The difference between social and intermediate rented housing is that social housing is for people on low incomes who are on the council’s waiting list, whilst intermediate housing is for people who are not eligible for social housing but also cannot afford market rents. For more information on current intermediate properties for rent or sale, visit Homeownership Westminster.

We have a very long waiting list for social housing in Westminster, so please bear this in mind if you wish to apply for social housing. If you do apply, your time in military service will be taken into account. Our Housing Allocation Scheme sets out our policies for assessing housing priority. In line with the Armed Forces Covenant, we’ve made the following changes to the Scheme (please refer to the Scheme for the full details):

• the need for a local connection to Westminster in order to apply for social housing has been removed for serving personnel, ex-personnel within 5 years of discharge and (in some cases) bereaved spouses
• armed forces personnel, ex-personnel within 5 years of discharge and (in some cases) bereaved spouses receive additional priority points for housing

The Joint Service Housing Advice Office can also provide advice about finding housing when you leave the services. 

Health

When registering with your local GP make sure to let them know your armed forces background. All veterans are entitled to priority access to NHS hospital care for any condition related to their service, regardless of whether they receive a war pension. 

There are lots of options for keeping fit in Westminster. Active Westminster can help you find local sports and leisure activities to suit all ages and abilities. In addition, current serving armed forces personnel can access public swimming sessions for free at any Westminster leisure centre on production of a MOD 90 (military ID). Any current serving armed forces personnel is also entitled to a discount on the full membership rate for Westminster’s leisure centres on production of a military ID.

Schools admissions

School admissions can be difficult to navigate from a foreign base or even just a different borough. Our School Admissions Team can provide advice and assistance for parents and carers.

If you apply for a school place in Westminster ahead of military deployment, but you have not yet been deployed to the local area, we will ensure that this does not disadvantage your application. Please ensure that when you apply for a school place, you explain that you are serving and provide an official letter detailing your relocation date and the address of your quartering unit.

The Children’s Education Advisory Service is a government service which provides expert and impartial advice about the education of service children.

Activities for children and young people

In Westminster we have numerous sport and leisure activities designed for young people. Young people aged 8-19 can enjoy free activities every week, all year.

In addition, any young people aged between 13 and 16 living in Westminster can access our pioneering City Lions programme. This is a free programme which gives young people the opportunity to take part in events and work experience placements throughout Westminster’s creative sector, including arts, film and drama. This can help young people start a career in the creative industry. 

Parenting support and childcare

Our local Children’s Centres provide services for children aged 0 to 5 years and their families including childcare, family support and health services.

In addition, we are in the process of opening Family Hubs across the City, which will provide support to families with young people up to the age of 19. The first Family Hub is now open at the Bessborough Centre in Pimlico, with two more planned for the north of the borough. Family Hubs offer all the same services as Children’s Centres and can also offer additional support including parenting courses and housing advice.

Our Family Information Service offers free, impartial information for parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-19 (up to 25 years for those with additional needs).

Parking

Our Parking team can provide information about resident parking permits and disabled parking. 

If you reside in military accommodation in Westminster and wish to apply for a parking or disabled parking permit but do not have any proof of local residence (e.g. because you do not receive bills directly) then we may be able to accept a letter from your commanding officer instead. Please contact the parking team for more details.  

Discounts

Our City Save scheme provides special offers and discounts for Westminster residents.

The Defence Discount Service offer discounts for members of the armed forces community from participating stores across the country.