Armed Forces Covenant

The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.

Section 1: Principles Of The Armed Forces Covenant

1.1 We, Bury Council, will uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:

• no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen;
• in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.

Section 2: Demonstrating our Commitment

2.1 Bury Council recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to Bury. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, through five key themes that can significantly and positively contribute to the delivery of the aims and objectives:

1. Employment and skills
2. Health and Wellbeing
3. Housing
4. Integration with Local Community
5. Recognise and Remember

We will:

• continue to work in partnership other public and third sector organisations to create a coherent standard of provision for the Armed Forces community;
• enshrine the Armed Forces Bill 2021 in all appropriate policies and pathways, so that the duty of due regard to Service in the military is not only upheld, but a guiding principle in all we do;
• providing leadership, best practice and support to the transformation of the minimum guaranteed offer for the Armed Forces Community in Bury;
• promote the fact that we are Armed Forces-friendly organisations;
• aim to have all GP practices accredited by the Veterans Friendly Scheme;
• work with registered social housing providers, housing associations and voluntary organisations to provide support on housing matters and ensure that priority accommodation is given to members of the armed forces community and that veterans are not disadvantaged;
• work together to ensure priority treatment to armed forces personnel and veterans that have been injured or wounded in service;
• seek to support the employment of veterans young and old and working with the Career Transition Partnership and other employment service providers, in order to establish a tailored employment pathway for Service Leavers, linking in with business leaders in Bury;
• strive to support the employment of Service spouses and partners, both within the organisation and promoting their employment through business leaders in Bury;
• endeavouring to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner's deployment;
• seeking to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, including by accommodating their training and deployment;
• offering support to our local cadet units, either in our local community or in local schools;
• actively participate and promote events that celebrate and remember the sacrifices of armed forces personnel, both past and present;
• offer free access to leisure provision to service members and ex-armed forces;
• promote the armed forces e-learning package for frontline staff so that the principles of the covenant can be applied at a local level.

2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and residents of Bury on how we are doing.