Agenda item

Report of the Executive Manager – Communities.

The Community Development Manager provided a report that summarised the delivery of the Armed Forces Covenant, which was adopted by Rushcliffe Borough Council in partnership with Charnwood and Melton Borough Councils’ and signed at Full Council in June 2013, and subsequently re-signed in November 2018.

A presentation was given by Victoria Coomber – Armed Forces Covenant Officer for Rushcliffe, Charnwood and Melton Borough Councils’ and Zoe Richardson – Outreach Officer for Rushcliffe, Charnwood and Melton Borough Councils’. The presentation focused on recent achievements, findings from a mapping/survey exercise and future work programme priorities.

Ms Coomber explained the Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation to ensure that those who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. The Covenant encourages Councils’ to support armed forces personnel and promote public understanding and awareness within their communities.

Ms Coomber provided an update on the activities delivered against the initial objectives within the action plan of 2013, these included:

•        Signed the 2013 Armed Forces Community Covenant – (Re-signed the Covenant, November 2018)

•        Local consortium funding award from the Ministry of Defence - £97K

•        Produced & delivered local action plan

•        Appointed Armed Forces Covenant Officer and Outreach Officer

•        Royal British Legion ‘pop-ins’

•        Presented ‘mapping report findings’ to Parish Council Forum and Leadership Team at Rushcliffe Borough Council.

•        Achieved the Silver Employer Recognition Award

Ms Coomber continued to update the Group with information received from a mapping report findings exercise and advised that there were an estimated 3052 veterans living in the Borough. She added that currently there was no one database or accurate records for locating armed forces personnel. Ms Coomber confirmed that the Borough does not provide service family accommodation, yet 75 pupils had been identified as receiving the £300 Service Pupil Premium.

Ms Coomber advised the group that work is continuing with the CCG’s and the Borough’s frontline staff to ask the question and encourage ex-armed service personnel to inform their GP and local authority that they are a veteran, adding that more positive actions are required to make our workplace and communities more reservist friendly and supportive to the wider Armed Forces Community.

Ms Coomber provided an update on the DMRC at Stanford Hall, advising that the facility opened to patients in Autumn 2018, adding that there was an estimated 170 service personnel working there. The Hall is able to treat up to 204 patients at any one time, 104 force generation patients and 100 complex traumas and its estimated that between 8000-15000 patients a year will attend as an outpatient. She added that the facility provides complete ‘wrap around care’ for service personnel with the view to them returning to work.

Ms Richardson presented information on the second phase of the Armed Forces Covenant, and confirmed that funding for this phase is secured until March 2020. Ms Richardson explained that his phase was to focus on the hard-to-reach veterans across the Borough, providing service related community mobile hubs. Identifying and working with support organisations to provide specialised armed forces tailored services and working with existing networks and local community groups to link military personnel to support one another.

Ms Richardson concluded in advising the Group most members of the Armed Forces community nationally are healthy, and transition successfully into the civilian world. By undertaking this work we are aiming to reduce those who may experience difficulties and ensuring we have mechanisms in place to identify any emerging trends.

Members considered the report and presentations and congratulated the Officers on the extent of work they had achieved so far and the silver accreditation for Employer Recognition. Members asked specific questions regarding how the Council promoted the Armed Forces Covenant to the wider community and how they shared information, for example; Council website, social media. Ms Coomber advised that work with Rushcliffe Communications team is ongoing, an article for Rushcliffe Reports titled Rushcliffe Remembers this Autumn, has recently been mailed to all residents across the Borough. There was also lots of social media activity covering Armistice and Remembrance Sunday. Ms Coomber added that the next steps are to develop a media campaign and approach local GP Surgeries, charities such as Age Concern for information on those veterans that are harder to reach.

Members requested that information be shared with ward members, as Councillor’s were the ‘eyes and ears’ in the community and could provide information on veterans in their communities. Ms Coomber welcomed their support.

It was RESOLVED that

a)    the Group note the report of the Executive Manager – Communities;

b)    the group be provided with additional information regarding future activities and progress.