All Stand Together

SOLDIERS injured in Afghanistan and Iraq will be able to jump the queue for council houses.

Manchester has become the first British city to give priority to wounded heroes in line with Government proposals.

Those needing specially-adapted accommodation will be placed in the first of six bands which prioritise housing need.

Community workers and volunteers who contribute to their neighbourhoods will also be re-housed faster.

Manchester City Council’s director of housing Paul Beardmore called it a “modernised approach” to housing allocations.

Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced in December that NHS trusts, education authorities and town halls could be prosecuted if they fail to prioritise members of the armed forces.

He said he wanted to give them legally-binding access to public services so they and their families would not sit at the foot of waiting lists for health, schools and housing.

A study estimated that around 5,000 veterans are homeless and military charities believe the number could swell as troops come home from service.

Dr Hugh Milroy, of the Veterans Aid charity, said: “This could be a ticking timebomb.”

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