The local authority for the Isle of Wight’s county town has agreed to support members of the Armed Forces community.
Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council (NCCC) voted to back the Armed Forces Covenant and Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (DERS) at its meeting on Monday night 8th December.
The vote followed a tense extraordinary general meeting earlier in the evening, where NCCC chair Vix Lowthion survived a no-confidence vote in her leadership which failed to garner enough support.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a voluntary pledge made by organisations, councils, charities or businesses to support members of the Armed Forces Community, according to a briefing paper.
When signing the Covenant, organisations make a commitment to ensure no one is disadvantaged as a result of their military service and that, where applicable, there is special consideration to supporting those who have served.
Common Covenant commitments include working together with local military communities, charities and support groups, giving support for employees who are reservists, veterans or military spouses and partners and promoting fair treatment in employment, housing or education.
Mandy Blackler, Trusted Armed Forces Ambassador at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, told the council:
“It’s a really good thing to do… you’ll then find, quite often, people that have worked in the military will come and have conversations with you, they’ll want to get involved with you.
Article continues below this advertisement “And it’s a good way of showing the public that you are supporting our Armed Forces personnel and their families.
“We have just short of 7,200 veterans on the Island and that number rises to nearly 16,000 when you take into account the Armed Forces community which is everybody else that’s covered by the Covenant – that’s more than 10% of our population.”
The DERS gives recognition to employers who go above and beyond in supporting the Armed Forces community and has 3 levels: bronze, silver and gold, according to the briefing paper.
