The recommendation to refuse a motion to make gym membership free for all army veterans in Wigan could exacerbate PTSD and mental health issues, one councillor has stated. Coun James Paul Watson, who suffered a spinal injury in Afghanistan in 2010 and has nerve damage in both legs, issued a letter to all council cabinet members urging them to support his motion.
The Atherton ward councillor submitted the motion at full council in December 2021 after claiming the current policy of free gym memberships for serving military and ex-servicemen for 12 months after they leave the forces is not good enough. The recommendation by officers for cabinet members to consider in Wigan Town Hall on November 24 is to continue the current arrangements - ignoring Coun Watson’s hope to make gym memberships free for all vets.
“I have a long-standing MSK injury from Afghanistan and I have paid on average £30 per month over the past seven years to maintain my spinal injury,” the Independent Network councillor said.
