Fight to save the Gurkhas (From York Press)

Fight to save the Gurkhas

9:50am Monday 6th September 2010 in

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THERE are Nepalese Gurkhas based at Imphal Barracks and we value all the Gurkhas have done for the country for the last 200 years.

The previous Labour government did much to raise wages and increase settlement rights.

However, I was disappointed in April last year when Labour did not initially agree to full resettlement rights to those who served before 1997.

I disagreed with this and expressed this in these pages.

After amendment, Labour councillors supported Lib-Dem councillor Paul Firth’s council motion to support such rights.

This issue nationally brought together the Conservatives and Lib Dems and started speculation over possible coalition.

I am therefore shocked to learn that they are now considering axing the Gurkhas altogether. One of the reasons cited is the rising costs of the Ghurkas since Joanna Lumley’s successful campaign that both coalition partners supported.

In a Lib-Dem press release, Coun Firth referred to the Gurkhas as a “vital part of the British Army”.

I agree, and this remains so now. I hope all parties in York can have a cross-party agreement to fight any such move to disband the Gurkhas.

Coun James Alexander, Leader of City of York Council’s Labour opposition group.