Armed Forces Covenant

An Enduring Covenant Between

The People of the United Kingdom

His 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 Covenant 

• We, Wimborne Minster Town 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 Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen, and
• in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.

Section 2: Demonstrating our Commitment

2.1       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, by:

• promoting the fact that we are an armed forces-friendly organisation to our employees, contractors, customers, suppliers and wider public;
• supporting the employment of veterans and recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process;
• supporting the employment of Service spouses and partners and providing flexibility in granting leave before / during / after deployment;
• supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces, granting additional paid / unpaid leave for annual Reserve Forces training and mobilisation and deployment;
• offering support to our employees who are volunteer leaders in military organisations / cadets and supporting these units in Wimborne Minster;
• aiming to participate in Armed Forces Day, Poppy Appeal Day, Remembrance activities and any other national event;
• offering support to Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist in these activities, and
• inviting Armed Forces representatives to our civic events and supporting significant military Freedom anniversaries in the centre of town.

2.2       We will acknowledge and publicise this Pledge, our commitments and Armed Forces activities through our literature and on our website and social media platforms, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Service community and our customers on how we are doing.