London Borough Of Hounslow Civic Centre
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 London Borough Of Hounslow Civic Centre 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 London Borough Of Hounslow Civic Centre 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:
Promoting the Armed Forces: Publicising our Armed forces Covenant and displaying the Armed Forces Covenant logo on our website. Promoting a greater understanding and awareness of the issues affecting the Armed Forces Community within the borough. Proactively encouraging companies and other organisations to sign Covenants. Engaging with our partners in the private, public and voluntary sectors to identify opportu- nities to fulfil the objectives of the covenant. Promoting public awareness of the Armed Forces through our website. Employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: Recognising that the Armed Forces Community bring a variety of transferable skills and qualities developed through their military careers when interviewing for positions. Ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required. Agreeing to offer a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partners deployment. Agreeing to support our employees who choose to be members of the Reserve Forces or Cadet Force Adult Volunteers by accommodating their training and deployment where practical We will, wherever possible, accommodate the mobilisation of our reservists if they are re- quired to deploy. Serving Armed Forces Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers are supported with ad- ditional paid leave to carry out training. Support the employment of Service spouses, partners and dependants, for example by: signing up to Forces Families Jobs; offering short-notice leave to those whose partners are sent on deployment; and working with the tri-Service Families Federations. Promote employment schemes aimed at the Armed Forces Community, such as A Great Place to Work and Step Into Health. Communications, engagement and outreach: Provide and/or promote training, such as e-learning, for staff on the Armed Forces Community. Promote the Armed Forces Covenant, the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and our support for the Armed Forces Community to staff, customers/service users, supply chains and the wider public. Support or promote Armed Forces events, such as Armed Forces Day/Week, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance activities. Use the Covenant and Employer Recognition Scheme logos in your communications and marketing. Maintain a dedicated Armed Forces page on our website. Establish an internal Armed Forces Network within London Borough of Hounslow, to enable staff members with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one another and provide feedback to you as an organisation. Appoint an Armed Forces Member Champion and Senior Officer point of contact within the Council to ensure our commitments are implemented and maintained. Ensuring staff and elected Members are made aware of the Armed Forces Covenant for Hounslow as part of their induction. Offering support to our local cadet units. Considering the needs of the Armed Forces Community as part of the wider Hounslow community in future service and infrastructure planning. Engage with and support local Armed Forces charities, for example by supporting their fundraising activities. Signpost members of the Armed Forces Community to available support, for example from Cobseo, the Veterans Gateway or statutory services. Run, facilitate or promote support networks (such as coffee mornings, breakfast clubs) for veterans and other members of the Armed Forces Community. Commercial: Offer and/or promote commercial discounts for members of the Armed Forces Community via the Defence Discount Service. Waive cancellation fees for utility and other contracts for those posted overseas or to areas outside the service provision. Ensure the Armed Forces Community has fair access to your services and is not put at a disadvantage by their service, for example as a result of their high mobility. Health Take part in and/or promote awareness-raising schemes, such as veteran-friendly accreditation for GP practices and the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance. Ensure available dedicated healthcare services for members of the Armed Forces Community, such as Op COURAGE in England, are signposted and promoted. Offer concessionary access to leisure centres and sports facilities for members of the Armed Forces Community. Housing: That Armed Forces members and their families who have a link with the London Borough of Hounslow will be recognised in housing allocations policies Waive the local-connection requirement for eligibility for social housing for ex-Service per- sonnel [statutorily, the requirement must be disapplied for those who left the Armed Forces within the last five years, but local authorities can choose to disapply it for all ex- Service personnel]. Provide for additional preference in your social housing allocation scheme for certain members of the Armed Forces Community. Promote awareness of housing and homelessness services among the Armed Forces Com- munity. Education: Ensure that school admission policies recognise the needs of children of the Armed Forces Community Promote and/or use resources such as the Service Children Progression Alliances Thriving Lives Toolkit. [For schools with Service children among their pupils] Develop a clear strategy for the effective use of any dedicated funding (for example the Service Pupil Premium in England) in support of Service pupils. Support and promote the wellbeing of Service children, recognising the particular experiences and challenges they may face. Promote training and further/higher education opportunities for Service leavers, ex- Service personnel and their families. Civic responsibilities: Recognising and remembering the sacrifices made by the Armed Forces Community by fly- ing the Armed Forces Day Flag. Where possible, arrange a Hounslow Borough Armed Forces Day Parade. Supporting other Armed Forces events in the local community. Supporting the Armed Forces who have been bestowed the Freedom of the Borough to exercise their Freedom in the borough. Ensure upkeep of war memorials and war graves (with support from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission). Organise, facilitate, promote and/or take part in remembrance and other ceremonial activities. Any additional commitment the organisation wishes to make. Posting messages of support on social media sites and linking to relevant websites. Mindfully recognising and remembering the contribution and sacrifices made by British and Commonwealth military and civilian service men and women who have been affected by armed conflict by supporting Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.
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.