TUV Cllr Roy Gillespie has urged members of the public to support the Gurkha Campaign for Pension Parity by signing an e-petition.

“The history of the service of the Brigade of Gurkhas to the British Crown goes back as far as 1815.  Since then the Brigade has conducted itself with distinction during numerous conflicts worldwide. 

The Brigade still maintains a battalion in Brunei and plays a full part in the British Army's operational deployments worldwide and in particular, Afghanistan. This year a Gurkha soldier who single-handedly fought off an attack on his base by up to 30 Taliban insurgents was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross.

It is regretful that despite the recent advances that have been made for the Gurkha community that Gurkha servicemen discharged before 1 July 1997 are still discriminated against in terms of their pensions and that they and their widows are being denied parity with other British and Commonwealth ex-servicemen.

There can be no doubt that the Gurkhas have contributed much to the British Army and it is only right that they receive full recognition of their service through the awarding of pension parity.”

The e-petition initiative was launched by Reading Borough Council where the numbers of ex-Gurkhas and their families are estimated to exceed 5000.

The e-petition is available online at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/10609