The recommendations in this Action Plan are practical measures that the mayors of England’s devolved regions can take to improve the lives of their local Armed Forces communities.
We hope that these actions will be considered and stand ready to work with mayors and local government to implement these positive changes in the years to come.
Keep the Covenant Promise
The next Mayor should:
1.1. Appoint an Armed Forces Champion who will lead on implementing and improving the Armed Forces Covenant and coordinate activity with local authorities and other local agencies in the area, including the Department for Work and Pensions and the justice system.
1.2. Create a regional Covenant forum that meets regularly with the Armed Forces community and includes their experiences and needs in plans that will affect them.
1.3. Encourage local authorities to appoint council Officer and Member Champions who are trained, and contactable.
1.4. Regularly review services, support, and policies relating to the Armed Forces community across the region; identify and share best practice; and agree areas for improvement.
Ask the Question
The next Mayor should:
2.1. Ensure all local public bodies ask individuals whether they or an immediate family member has served in HM Armed Forces as part of their standard service delivery. This must be recorded and published to understand needs and provide appropriate support.
2.2. Use the best available localised data from national datasets including Census 2021 and the forthcoming Veterans Survey analysis to inform regional plans and strategies, identifying where the Armed Forces community may have additional or unique needs and how these can best be met by local services.
Employment and Industry
The next Mayor should:
3.1. Participate in the Employment Recognition Scheme and work towards achieving a Gold standard award.
3.2. Ensure jobs in the authority are clearly advertised to the Armed Forces community by promoting vacancies through Career Transition Partnership and Forces Family Jobs.
3.3. Introduce a guaranteed interview scheme for veterans, Reservists, and their current or former partners who meet the relevant job criteria.
3.4. Champion the value of veterans, Reservists, and family members in work by encouraging local businesses to also engage with the Employer Recognition Scheme, Forces Family Jobs, and Career Transition Partnership.
Education and Adult Skills
The next Mayor should:
4.1. Work with local schools and councils to identify Service children and any specific needs they may have and achieve best value from the Service Pupil Premium by encouraging joint initiatives.
4.2. Encourage Further and Higher Education providers in the region to identify students from an Armed Forces background and offer them tailored support.
4.3. Increase the number of Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service (ELCAS) accredited training providers, allowing more Service leavers to use their learning credits within the region.
4.4. Actively promote adult education courses to veterans and the spouses and partners of serving personnel and veterans, and provide them with concessionary rates for course fees.
4.5. Exempt Armed Forces compensation in any assessment of income for adult education courses, and include Armed Forces compensation as a category for concessionary fees.
Benefits and Compensation
The next Mayor should:
5.1. Encourage local authorities to exempt military compensation from means tests for locally administered benefits, ensuring fair and consistent treatment of all veterans across the combined authority area.
Travel
The next Mayor should:
6.1. Introduce a concessionary travel scheme for veterans in receipt of compensation for injury as a result of their service in HM Armed Forces.
6.2. Support Remembrance by introducing free travel for veterans and serving personnel attending Remembrance events.
Housing and Homelessness
The next Mayor should:
7.1. Ensure all local housing authorities are linked into tailored services available to the Armed Forces community such as Op Fortitude, Op Courage, and Op Community.
7.2. Ensure frontline staff in housing and homelessness services are trained and aware of the needs and policies specific to the Armed Forces community.
7.3. Ensure provision of safe and family-appropriate housing for those who experience Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse (IPVA) in the Armed Forces community.
Health and Care
The next Mayor should:
8.1. Improve access to healthcare for families and reduce inequalities for serving families and veterans by facilitating access to a single point of contact, for example by participating in initiatives like Op Community.
8.2. Influence NHS Trusts and other providers to become accredited with the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA).
8.3. Encourage GP practices to become Veteran Friendly accredited by participating in the Royal College of GPs and NHS England’s veteran Friendly Accreditation scheme.
8.4. Encourage residential care homes to participate in the Veteran Friendly Framework.
8.5. Ensure NHS Trusts and other relevant healthcare providers are represented within the authority Covenant forum and meetings.
8.6. Ensure Veterans and close family members with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health problems can access coordinated treatment services that address all their needs.
Policing
The next Mayor should:
9.1. Ensure that all police custody suites ‘ask the question’ of the Armed Forces status of those detained.
9.2. Expand ‘ask the question’ practice across all public-facing police processes, for example in all missing persons reports.
9.3. Create referral pathways within custody suites and local probation services, directing people to specialist support in the military charity sector, for example Op NOVA.
9.4. Arrange training for all police officers and staff to better understand the Armed Forces community.
9.5. Introduce Armed Forces-friendly employment practices across police forces – for example, granting additional leave for Reservists, and offering guaranteed interviews to veterans – with a view to pursuing Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) awards.
