The details of how to ensure armed forces veterans in receipt of war pensions and compensation for injuries aren’t penalised when they claim benefits in Swindon will be discussed next week.

In the summer the council unanimously passed a motion that mandates the council does not take into account such compensation or pensions awarded for injuries sustained in a war zone when it calculates the payments to veterans of such means-tested benefits.

Currently, the council does, in certain circumstances, take the compensation into account, and it can mean that veterans receive less benefit payment.

This doesn’t happen for civilians who get compensation for injuries at work.

The motion mandated: “The Building a Fairer Swindon Committee to investigate the impact of simplifying and standardising the complicated rules by supporting the RBL ‘Credit Their Service’ campaign that looks to achieve fairness for those in our armed forces community.

“It can do this by using discretionary powers available to the council to exempt all  compensation awards for illness or injury acquired in service from any benefits calculations including housing benefit, council tax support, discretionary housing payments, and disabled facilities grants.”

The policy formulation committee will meet for the first time next week since that motion was passed to work out the details.

A report to the members, using Powerpoint slides, to be made by Andy Stevens if the revenues and benefits team says: “Nationally there are 150,000 armed forces compensation payments for illness or injury during service. The suggestion is these should all be disregarded in the calculation of benefits payments.”

The report lists a number of instances where the council already disregards such payments in its calculations and adds: “It appears the only change would be to working-age claimants without funds in trust.”

Of the nearly 7,000 working age council tax support claimants in Swindon, 14 have war disablement pensions, and seven pensioners also receive those payments.

It says housing benefit claims are being migrated to Universal Credit and there are few working-age claimants left, and disabled facilities grants already see compensation payments disregarded.

It concludes: “The cost of disregarding all payments is unknown and cannot be ascertained. The presence of capital over £6,000 would prevent council tax support being claimed and over £16,000 for housing benefit and discretionary housing payments.”

The Building a Better Swindon policy committee meeting starts at 6pm on Wednesday September 4. Members of the public are entitled to attend.