East Sussex County Council signs up to updated Armed Forces Covenant

The signing was approved by Cllr Bob Bowdler, lead member for children and families and the council’s armed forces champion, at a meeting on Tuesday (February 14).

Cllr Bowdler, who is an ex-serviceman himself, welcomed the signing, which comes as the council seeks gold accreditation under the Ministry of Defence’s employer recognition scheme.

He said: “As a retired career soldier and now veteran, I have personal experience of the difficulties that ex-service personnel and their families face when leaving the military.

“In my day, the military education provided by the Army Education Corps, now a branch of the Adjutant General’s Corps, was not recognised by civilian businesses and the benefit of employing ex-military with their expertise, skills and proven sense of duty were generally not fully appreciated.

“Thankfully we have moved on and the Armed Forces Covenant underscores our commitment to those who choose to serve their country — regular or reserve — that they will not be disadvantaged on discharge.”

The updated covenant sets out how the council will support the employment of ex-service personnel, members of the reserves and family members of those serving in the armed forces.

This commitment, the covenant says, would include flexibility in granting leave and recognition of military qualifications.

The covenant also commits the council to supporting a range of national events, including Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day and remembrance events.