Cllr John Lamb, cabinet member and chair of the armed forces working party talks about the importance of signing the Armed Forces Covenant and what it means for armed forces personnel and others.
Yesterday (Thursday 7 March), the council and Ministry of Defence formally signed the Armed Forces Covenant at a special event held at Porters Civic House. Photos of the event are on our Flickr site.
As chair of armed forces working party I am very proud that we have signed the covenant. The armed forces and veteran support is a subject very dear to my heart and something I have always actively supported in my role as a councillor and during my own time as Mayor.
The council and Southend-on-Sea has a long history of supporting and working with the Armed Forces Community. We have strong links with the Royal Artillery at the Garrison in Shoebury and ongoing connections with 54 squadron RAF and the Royal Anglian Regiment both of whom have freedom of the City. Our remembrance events are also really well attended and poignant occasions.
The signing means the council is committed to upholding the covenant, will support the armed forces community and recognises the contribution that service personnel make to the council, our community and the country.
The covenant follows the introduction of the Armed Forces Act 2021 which ensures nationally that service personnel and veterans are not disadvantaged when accessing services like healthcare, education and housing.
This act rightly requires public bodies to have regard to the Covenant to help prevent service personnel and veterans being disadvantaged when accessing services like healthcare, education, and housing.
As a working party we have looked at key areas such as employment, housing and communication and are making good strides to achieve best practice to support our armed forces personnel and their families.
The council is also signing up to the defence employer recognition scheme at bronze level. This shows the council's commitment to the Armed Forces Community by ensuring it follows best practice regarding the recruitment and employment of both currently serving and ex-service personnel. I look forwards to following this work closely and ensuring that we continue to support armed forces personnel, veterans, cadets and reservists, and their families.
More information on armed forces and veteran support is available on the Livewell website.
Have a good weekend.
Cllr John Lamb, cabinet member and chair of the armed forces working party