Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant (opens new window) was launched by The Ministry of Defence (MOD) in June 2011 in recognition of the contribution and sacrifice that service personnel make for their country.

The first duty of government is the defence of the realm. The country's 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. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives. This social contract exists to ensure that the sacrifices made by the armed forces community in the national interest, should not come at significant cost.

The Armed Forces Covenant relies on the people, communities, and businesses of the UK to actively support it in order to make a difference.

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, including:

voluntary and charitable bodies
private organisations
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.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council demonstrates its commitment to the armed forces community through its:

Armed Forces Covenant Pledge (PDF) [236KB] (opens new window)

Principles of the Armed Forces Covenant

The Council will endeavour in its 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
in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved

Demonstrating our commitment

We recognise the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business and to our country.

We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant in the following ways and to the following groups:

Promoting the armed forces

Promote the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public.

Veterans

Support the employment of veterans.
Recognise military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process.
Work with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of service leavers.

Service spouses and partners

Support the employment of service spouses and partners.
Partner with Forces Families Jobs (opens new window).
Provide flexibility in granting leave for service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner's deployment.

Reserves

Support our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces.
Grant additional paid/unpaid leave for annual Reserve Forces training.
Support any mobilisations and deployment.
Actively encourage members of staff to become Reservists.

Cadet organisations

Support our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations.
Grant additional leave to attend annual training camps and courses.
Actively encourage members of staff to become volunteer leaders in cadet organisations.
Support local military cadet units.
Recognise the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce.

National events

Support:

Armed Forces Day
Reserves Day
Poppy Appeal Day
Remembrance activities

Armed forces charities

Support armed forces charities with fundraising and support staff who volunteer to assist.

Commercial support

Offer a discount to members of the armed forces community.

Membership of the local Armed Forces Covenant Working Party

The Council will appoint a Member and Officer to sit on the working party.

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 the Council is doing.

If you would like to find out more about the Council's commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, please contact Clare Dyble, Head of IT, Communications and Marketing: