What is the Armed Forces Covenant?
To those who proudly protect our nation, who do so with honour, courage, and commitment, the Armed Forces Covenant is the nation’s commitment to you.
It is a pledge that together we acknowledge and understand that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they serve with their lives.
Bassetlaw District Council’s commitment
The Community Covenant was signed by the Council in 2013.
The Armed Forces Covenant was signed by all Nottinghamshire Councils at joint ceremony in Southwell in 2018. Bassetlaw reaffirmed its commitment to the Covenant by resigning in February 2022.
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 bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary ad charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites our 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 Bassetlaw District 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 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 Bassetlaw District 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:
- promoting the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation;
- seeking to support the employment of veterans young and old;
- striving to support the employment of Service spouses and partners;
- providing a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment;
- supporting our employees who chose to be members of the Reserve forces, including accommodating their training and deployment wherever possible;
- offering support to our local cadet units in our district and encouraging employees to become adult cadet instructors through our leave policy;
- actively participate in Armed Forces Day, Remembrance Sunday and marking historical acts of service of those from the district;
- to keep under review any commitments Bassetlaw District Council is able to make in the future.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.
Last Updated on Wednesday, May 8, 2024