Fund announced to help Gurkhas settle in the UK

An additional £1.5 million funding has been promised by the Government to help support retired Gurkha soldiers and their dependants, who want to settle in the UK.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles today announced the fund which will be paid over two years.

The cash will help ease the exceptional pressures on Rushmoor Borough Council, Hampshire, which has seen a large number of Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependents arrive in the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough over a relatively short period of time. The recent arrivals include a high proportion of children and elderly Nepalese nationals which has placed a recognised strain on local social, health and education services.

The fund will be used to address the immediate resource pressures on Rushmoor Borough Council and provide a source of funding for managing further pressures over the next two years and will support other local authorities with large numbers of retired Gurkhas to manage future integration of retired veterans and their families who wish to take up their settlement rights.

The Government will now work with the Gurkha Welfare Trust, other service organisations and charities, relevant local authorities with existing Gurkha populations, and the Gurkha Settlement Office in Nepal to see how we can use the fund most effectively to encourage more manageable future migration and integration.

“I was proud to be a part of the hard fought campaign for equal rights and citizenship for Gurkhas. But honouring the bravery of the Gurkhas, who have served this country’s armed forces for almost 200 years, doesn’t end there. This fund is a vital part of ensuring that their families are welcomed and supported in communities so they can live with the respect that they deserve,” said Clegg.

Pickles added: “These brave British army veterans have given our country loyal service over many years. It is their bravery that has helped protect our way of life and our traditions and it is right that their dedication is honoured.

“Many of these ex-servicemen and their families have been proud to call this country their home and we too are proud of the strong ties that have been established between the ex-Gurkhas, their families and their wider communities. They have a right to live here and we are determined to see that they and their families are treated with dignity and respect and are made to feel welcome.”