The Armed Forces Community Covenant

Stevenage Borough Council is a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant and holds the silver award of the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme. The Community Covenant was a voluntary 'promise from the nation' that those who serve or have served in the armed forces (and their families) should be treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives.

The aim of the covenant is to encourage charities, local authorities, businesses, communities, and individuals to work with the military to offer support to service personnel and their families as well as reservists and veterans. In some cases, special consideration is appropriate for those who have given most, such as the injured and the bereaved.

The Armed Forces Act 2021 strengthened the covenant with a new legal duty for public bodies to consider the needs of armed forces personnel, their families and veterans when planning and delivering services. This legal obligation is known as the Armed Forces Covenant Duty, and it came into effect on 22 November 2022. This duty applies to our council.

You can find more information about the covenant on the Armed Forces Covenant website. You can also find out more about the principles of the covenant and the new legal duty.