East Suffolk Council
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-10)

We, the undersigned, commit to honour the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the value Serving Personnel, both Regular and Reservists, Veterans and military families contribute to our business and our country.

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 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 Corporate Covenant

1.1 We East Suffolk 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 that special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved.
Section 2: Demonstrating our commitment

2.1 East Suffolk 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 pledging to the following:
- Armed Forces Friendly
- UK Service Veterans And Leavers
- UK Service Spouses And Partners
- Flexible Leave For Spouses
- UK Reservists
- UK Cadets
- Armed Forces Day
- Reserve Forces Day
- Armed Forces Charities
We also pledge the following:

Offer concessionary access to leisure centres and sports facilities for members of the Armed Forces Community. Providing for additional preference in our social housing allocation scheme for certain members of the Armed Forces community. Promoting awareness of housing and homelessness services among the Armed Forces community. Continue to work proactively with Rock Barracks as a Local Planning Authority on pre-application engagement and decisions in respect of redevelopment and expansion to enable modern and improved housing to personnel and their families, including acting as a facilitator of community engagement on development projects. Ensuring the Armed Forces community has fair access to our services and is not put at a disadvantage by their service, for example as a result of their high mobility. Promoting the Armed Forces Covenant and our support for the Armed Forces community to our supply chains. Encouraging all suppliers to sign the Armed Forces Covenant declaring their sup-port for the Armed Forces community by displaying the values and behaviours set out therein. Including specific reference to the Armed Forces Covenant in the standard documentation we use for project tenders as part of our Social Value Policy and Social Value Ask. Recognising military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection pro-cesses and offering a guaranteed interview scheme for those that meet the mini-mum criteria for a role and meet the Veteran criteria. Considering ways in which remote-working solutions might benefit the Armed Forces community, especially partners and spouses. Providing and/or promoting training, such as e-learning, on the Armed Forces community and as part of our ongoing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training. Establishing an internal Armed Forces Network within the Council to enable staff and councillors with an Armed Forces connection to meet and support one an-other and provide feedback to us as an organisation. Appointing a councillor to be our Armed Forces Champion and also a supporting officer from within the organisation to act as a focal point for organising and promoting support for the Armed Forces community. Engaging with Rock Barracks in Woodbridge, including the joint organisation of the annual Operation Camouflage event to support local young people. Signposting members of the Armed Forces community to statutory services and to our Community Help Hub which provides practical advice and support, help with money and connection into other services. Encouraging Veterans and members of the Armed Forces community to access support to reduce isolation and loneliness including social prescribing, community chinwags, Meet up Mondays etc. Developing relationships and working collaboratively with other organisations supporting the Covenant and the Armed Forces community in our locality/region.

2.2 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 we are doing.