Enfield Council has moved to ensure fair access to benefits for its Armed Forces community, resolving to disregard military compensation when assessing applications for discretionary support. The decision was made at a Council meeting on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.
The motion, put forward by Councillor Chris Dey, addresses a disparity where some benefits, unlike Universal Credit, do not always disregard military compensation as income. This can force veterans to choose between essential financial support and the compensation intended to recognise their service and sacrifice. Specifically, the motion dictates that all compensation paid under relevant military compensation schemes will be treated as such and not considered income when the council assesses applications for benefits it controls.
The council noted its obligations to the Armed Forces community under the Armed Forces Covenant, which states that members of the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage in the provision of services and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most.
The motion specifically targets benefits over which the Local Authority exercises discretion, including:
- Council Tax Support scheme
- Housing Benefit
- Discretionary Housing Payments
- Disabled Facilities Grants
The council has instructed the Executive Director for Resources to amend relevant local policies to reflect this position. The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, Councillor Tim Leaver, will update members on this work at a future Council meeting.
The motion also supports the Royal British Legion's call for all forms of military compensation to be disregarded as income in the assessment and administration of locally administered benefits over which the council exercises discretion. Other veterans' organizations were not mentioned in the meeting information.
