Government funding pledge for National Memorial Arboretum

Jun 20 2008

A MIDLAND MP has welcomed news that the Ministry of Defence has agreed funding to ensure a war memorial is properly maintained over the coming years.

Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant wrote to Defence Minister Derek Twigg thanking him for the decision to meet the costs of the upkeep of the Armed Forces Memorial at Alrewas.

The ministry will provide a one-off £500,000 to pay for the £7.3 million construction costs and there will be an annual payment of up to £150,000 for at least three years to cover the cost of maintenance and inscribing the names of fallen soldiers in the future.

Mr Fabricant said: “It has been a long battle to get the Ministry of Defence to agree to help fund the memorial, which is part of the covenant between the nation and the servicemen who fight to protect our country.

“I am grateful this issue has now been resolved.

“The memorial is attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and this creates wear and tear while our wild winter weather also takes its toll of the stonework.

“Adequate funding to pay for the maintenance of the memorial is essential, as is sufficient finance to inscribe the names of the brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Royal Marines who will inevitably lose their lives serving their country in the years to come.”

The memorial contains the names of 16,000 servicemen and women who have died in conflicts since the Second World War.