The covenant supports serving personnel, service leavers, veterans, and their families. The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. All 407 local authorities in mainland Great Britain and 4 Northern Ireland councils have already pledged to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant.
To date over 4,000 organisations have signed the covenant, including businesses and charities.
Mayor of Cambridgeshire Peterborough Combined Authority James Palmer said: “Remembrance Sunday is just one day. But Britain’s soldiers, sailors, aircrew and veterans need our love and respect every day of every year. We wear our poppies with pride in November as we honour the fallen, but this covenant is something lasting and practical that we can do for the living left behind. Not just for a day, not just for a month, but a pledge that the nation will work year in, year out to ensure service personnel and their families are treated fairly by the community, the economy and the society that they serve with their lives.”
“Here at the Mayoral Combined Authority, the kind of support we’ll look at includes the adult education that could help those with military backgrounds get qualifications or re-skill to start a new career. And we’ll also look at how we might help them get their own affordable home, and we’ll hope to influence local businesses to sign up too.”
Under the covenant, local authorities and military bases are asked to work together to encourage local communities to support the local armed forces community and to nurture public understanding and awareness of issues affecting soldiers, sailors and aircrew in time of peace or conflict.