People and communities
Armed Forces Covenant re-signed in Walsall
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An Armed Forces Covenant with updated pledges was re-signed at a community networking event at the Council House in Walsall on Saturday 18 November 2023.
Re-signing the Armed Forces Covenant were Councillor Adam Hicken, the Armed Forces Champion for Walsall Council, Councillor Chris Towe, the Mayor of Walsall, and Major Stephen Manning from the Ministry of Defence.
“ By re-signing the Armed Forces Covenant, we are renewing our focus on supporting our armed forces community across the borough. We will coordinate our work with partners from healthcare, education, policing and welfare, to make sure issues are highlighted and improvements made.
We pledge that our armed forces community should not face disadvantages when accessing local services. We will work tirelessly to eliminate discrimination and promote awareness of the covenant’s principles. We will engage with our armed forces community, and the groups who promote and support them, to understand the challenges that they are facing. It does not matter if you are still serving, if you have recently left, or if it was decades ago when you last serve - we want to stand by you. “
The community networking event included information stands and representatives from a variety of organisations including the armed forces charity SSAFA, Stepway, the Mercian Volunteers Regimental Association and the Refugee and Migrant Centre.
The Cabinet previously approved a voluntary local Armed Forces Covenant in 2013. The Armed Forces Act 2021 placed a new statutory duty on some public bodies, including local authorities, to have regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant in their policy development and decision making, covering aspects of education, healthcare and public housing.
The national Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that those who serve or who have served in the armed Forces, and their families, will be treated fairly and will not be disadvantaged in accessing public and commercial services as a result of their military service. It recognises that the whole nation has a moral obligation to members of the armed forces and their families, and it establishes how they should expect to be treated, recognising the sacrifices they make on the nation’s behalf and the responsibilities the nation owes them in return.
The key principles of the covenant are that members of the armed forces community should not face disadvantages arising from their service when accessing local services. In some circumstances, special treatment may be appropriate, especially for the injured and bereaved.
ENDS
