The Armed Forces Corporate Covenant is a pledge that acknowledges and understands that those who serve, or who have served, in the armed forces, and their families, should be treated with fairness and respect.
The Basildon Civil Military Partnership Board's mission statement is to support the Armed Forces and Veteran community within the Basildon Borough. Therefore, during a meeting in December 2018, it was recommended that Basildon Council sign the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant to demonstrate this support. This is different to the Community Covenant and is a further commitment to the Armed Forces community.
Key Principles of the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant
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.
As a result of signing the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant in 2019 we joined the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) which publicly recognises employers' efforts to support defence personnel issues, such as employing reservists and veterans, while encouraging others to do the same.
The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to the defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Corporate Covenant.
Basildon Council proudly achieved the Silver level award in August 2020 and we will now look at how we can progress to the Gold award.
