Coventry City Council
We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.
The Armed Forces Covenant
An enduring covenant between the people of the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Government and all those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown and their families
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 Corporate Covenant
1.1 We Coventry City Council will endeavour in our business dealings to 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;
- and in some circumstances that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment
2.1 Coventry City Council recognises the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Discounts
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:
Healthcare Recognising that Armed Forces families are transient communities in health equity terms and advising on, and advocating for, the making of appropriate adjustments or developments in integrated care system services for them. Education Working with schools to: o Ensure that arrangements for School Admissions remove disadvantages for Service children. o Support children entitled to the Service Pupil Premium to improve their well-being and educational attainment o Recognise that it may be beneficial for Service children to take a leave of absence during term time and encourage Service families to discuss a leave of absence with the head teacher outlining the exceptional circumstances such as the nature of the Service persons role and commitments. For example, planned or short-notice deployment. Communications, engagement and outreach Provide and promote the Armed Forces e-learning modules training on the Coventry City Council’s online learning system to all employees. Support and promote Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day and Remembrance Activities Create a dedicated Armed Forces page on our website Establish an internal Armed Forces Network within Coventry City Council, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another and provide feedback to our organisation. Appoint an Armed Forces Champion within Coventry City Council to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces Community. Housing Provide additional preference in our Homefinder social housing allocation scheme for certain members of the Armed Forces Community. Promote awareness of housing and homelessness services among the Armed Forces Community. Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community Promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and the wider public Subject to business need, the Council is committed to granting to Reservist employees or Adult Cadet Instructors: o Up to 10 days paid leave per year for the annual camp or other training specific to their Reserve or Adult Cadet Instructor role; o Up to 10 days unpaid leave in total within a 3-year period, and each successive 3-year period thereafter, for additional specialist training to enhance their role or for progression within the Reserve or Cadet Forces. The Council will release employees for mobilisation in all but exceptional circumstances and will provide support before and after mobilisation to achieve a smooth reintegration to work. The Council will give an interview under its Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) where the essential criteria for a post are met by external candidates who are: o Serving Armed Forces personnel during the 12 weeks prior to their discharge date from the Armed Forces. o Ex-Armed Forces personnel within 3 years of their discharge date; or o Where the Armed Forces were their last long-term employer. The Council will work with employers within Coventry to promote the Covenant and advocate businesses to sign up to the Covenant and provide employment opportunities and support to the Armed Forces community 2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature, staff notices, and website. We will explain how we plan to fulfil them and ask for feedback from the service community, our employees, and our customers on our progress. 2.3 We will aspire to support local residents within the Veteran Covenant offering employability and skills advice, guidance and access to courses, jobs and events through our central community hub; the Job Shop and engage other veteran networks and associations to build effective partnerships. Civic Responsibilities Organise, facilitate, promote and/or take part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities Invite, Include and engage Coventry City Council service personnel employees in Armed Forces ceremonial activities.
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 our customers on how we are doing.