Appendix 1
Buckinghamshire’s Commitment
to the Armed Forces Community
Covenant 2012-17
June 2012
Contents
Page
Introduction
3
The Armed Forces in Buckinghamshire
4
The Armed Forces Community Covenant
5
The Community Covenant Grant scheme
5
The Buckinghamshire Armed Forces Community Covenant
5
Monitoring the Armed Forces Community Covenant
6
How we work
7
What we are already doing and commit to continuing
7
Next Steps
9
Action Plan
9
Introduction to the Buckinghamshire Armed Forces Community Covenant from
the Chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council and Brigadier Neil
Baverstock OBE Commander 145 (South) Brigade?
The Armed Forces in Buckinghamshire
RAF High Wycombe
RAF High Wycombe is an administrative support unit located in the village of Naphill,
approximately 3 miles from the town of High Wycombe. It houses and provides
support for Headquarters Air Command, No 1, No 2 and No 22 Groups.
Mission Statement "To enable HQ Air Command and other units parented by RAF
High Wycombe to meet their operational output through the provision of essential
support"
RAF Halton
RAF Halton is the gateway to the Royal Air Force with a long and distinguished
history in training, dating back to the Kitchener Armies that trained there during the
Great War of 1914 to 1918. Today, RAF Halton provides highly-trained personnel as
a wider contribution to the UK’s Defence Strategy in many differing and varied roles
throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.
In addition, all recruits to the RAF Reserves go on basic training (15 day residential
course) at RAF Halton.
Defence School of Languages in Beaconsfield (DSL)
The DSL provides foreign language training to personnel from the British Armed
Services, and English language training to personnel from Foreign Defence Forces to
enhance military capability and contribute to Defence Diplomacy.
This page needs more information – can the Armed Forces provide?
For more information on the veterans population in Buckinghamshire please see
Appendix 2
The Armed Forces Community Covenant
1. On 16 May 2011 the Secretary of State published the Armed Forces Covenant1
the moral obligation between the Nation, the Government and the Armed Forces.
A key initiative in the Armed Forces Covenant is the Community Covenant, which
is a voluntary statement of mutual support between a civilian community and its
local Armed Forces Community. Its aim is to encourage local communities to
support the Armed Forces Community in their area and promote understanding
and awareness amongst the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces
Community.
2. Local support for the Armed Forces Community takes many forms, from initiatives
by local authorities to the actions of individuals. It may be through supporting
service charities; through fundraising, military celebrations and open days,
attending homecoming parades and repatriation ceremonies and offering
commercial discounts. Simple demonstrations of support, such as displaying the
Armed Forces Day window stickers have had a positive effect and boost the
morale of our Armed Forces Community. The Community Covenant scheme aims
to build on this local level of support.
3. The Community Covenant is not intended to be one-way. It also recognises how
much the Armed Forces Community can do to help and support the wider
Community, whether through participation in events and joint projects, or other
forms of engagement.
The Community Covenant Grant scheme
4. In August 2011, the Government announced that £30 million in funding had been
allocated over the next four years to support the Community Covenant scheme.
Details of the Community Covenant Grant scheme are available at
www.mod.uk/covenant.
The Buckinghamshire Armed Forces Community Covenant
5. The Community Covenant aims to encourage charities, local authorities,
businesses, communities and individuals to work together with the military to offer
support that is appropriate to Service personnel, Service families, Reservists and
Veterans in their area.
6. The RAF and the Army are party to the Covenant which currently embraces the
County Council, District Councils?, Veterans Associations?, the Health
Authority?, Police?, Voluntary Sector? aswell as the Private Sector through the
Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership?. Other individual organisations?
This is just the start and we will continue to encourage partners and other
organisations to offer their support to the Covenant.
7. The starting point to signing the Community Covenant is deciding how an
individual or organisation is able to support the Armed Forces. This support is
then recorded by the signing of the Community Covenant pledge. The strategic
outcomes that the Covenant is seeking to deliver over the next 5 years are set
out in the Action Plan on page x. Progress will be reported to ?? on an annual
basis.
1
www.mod.uk/ArmedForcesCovenant
8. The Buckinghamshire Community Covenant2 uses the five themes set out in the
government’s Covenant guidelines:
a.
Encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces
communities in their areas and vice versa.
b.
Nurture public understanding and public awareness amongst the
public of issues affecting the Armed Forces Community.
c.
Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces
Community.
d.
Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces
Community into local life.
e.
Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the
wider Community.
Signatories to the Buckinghamshire Community Covenant on Armed Forces
Day on 30 June 2012
9. List of signatories
Monitoring the Armed Forces Community Covenant
10. Pledges to the Community Covenant are voluntary. We have endeavoured to
explain what the pledges will achieve in order to assess how successful the
Covenant is. We will monitor progress through …?.
2
Details of Buckinghamshire’s Community Covenant are available at xxxx
How we work
11. We have established strong links between the Armed Forces in Buckinghamshire
and the County and District Councils. The working relationships are …..
12. In summary the Armed forces work with the County and District Councils and
strategic partners on issues that may affect all Service personnel, Army, RAF,
and all their families across the county, for example health, employment,
education, and housing. This work also includes the requirements of veterans
and reservists.
What are we already doing and commit to continuing
13. Encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces communities in
their areas and vice versa.
 The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Armed Forces Day takes place
each year, organised by Buckinghamshire County Council and the
Buckinghamshire Lieutenancy, and is open to service personnel and the
wider community.
 The SCSN (Service Children Support Network) has its roots in
Buckinghamshire and is based around RAF Halton and RAF Benson and has
grown into a national charity.
 Bucks County Council is currently preparing its Sustainable Procurement
Strategy, which looks at how Social, Economic and Environmental factors can
be incorporated and enhanced through the Council’s buying activity. The
strategy will detail its commitments within the Armed Forces Community
Covenant to raise awareness with external suppliers and the contract
management community.
 Buckinghamshire Business First is working with Fredericks Buckinghamshire
to provide loans to ex-service personnel wishing to set up business.
 Supporting Station Community Engagement events through 2 civic receptions
a year for returning service personnel and their families.
 In South Bucks, leisure facilities offer discounts to Armed Forces personnel.
 In Chiltern District, funding to cadet organisations is approved should a grant
request be made.
 Chiltern District tailor housing advice and assistance to the needs of the
armed forces such as signposting to the SSAFA [Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen
and Families Association] and the Royal British Legion for disabled facility
grant contribution funding. This might happen if there is a shortfall between
what the Council can provide and the requirements of the individual.
 The management board for Bucks Home Choice (housing waiting list) is
carrying out a review of the guidelines in autumn 2012, which are set for all
authorities across Buckinghamshire. This review will take into account the
government guidance on any special measures to include for the armed
forces.
 Community Impact Bucks have 2 forces charities registered with them SSAFA and STUBS. SSAFA has volunteering opportunities registered with
them and CIB have referred volunteers to them over the years. They are
currently working with STUBS to help fulfil volunteer vacancies.
14. Nurture public understanding and public awareness amongst the public of
issues affecting the Armed Forces Community.
 The Chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council has been appointed as
the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, ensuring that military involvement is
embedded at the highest levels within the Council.
 Council and military senior officer time has been given to enhance the support
for the Armed Forces Community and develop the partnership with the three
services?
 Produce an Armed Forces Community Covenant
15. Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces
Community.
 Coombe Hill memorial is a stone monument which sits at the summit of
Coombe Hill, near Wendover. It was originally erected in 1904, by public
subscription, in memory of the 148 men of Buckinghamshire who gave their
lives in the South Africa War 1899-1902. The monument is owned by the
Council and Coombe Hill is owned by the National Trust. The memorial has
recently been restored as well as adding two previously omitted names to the
plaque.
 South Bucks District has put “SmartWater” on the war memorials in their
District to protect the metal plaques.
 County and District Councillors lay wreathes on Remembrance Day.
 Council collections for Remembrance Day each year.
 Both RAF Halton and RAF Wycombe have been given the Freedom of the
County.
16. Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community
into local life.
 The Service Children Consultative Group has been formed and consists of
head teachers, governors and representatives from the RAF who meet with
officers from the Local Authority and focus on school issues relating to service
families.
 In 2010/11, the Buckinghamshire Schools Forum innovatively chose to give
additional funding to any school that had a services child at it (which has now
been replaced by the national Pupil Premium). This funding was used to
increase the induction capacity at schools, such as at the Halton Combined
School which used this money to provide a full time member of staff to help
with the induction of children from service families. There is a bid in progress
jointly supported by SCSN (Service Children Support Network) and
Buckinghamshire County Council to the MOD to create further family liaison
officers.
 As the Pupil Premium does not apply to early years provision,
Buckinghamshire County Council continues to provide additional funding for
early years providers who have children from service families attending to
help ease their induction.
 A Pupil Passport, developed by the Bucks Educational Psychology Service,
was introduced to aid rapid induction of service children into their new school.
This is now being rolled out on a wider basis to help highly mobile children
settle into their new surroundings more quickly.
 Service children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) requiring educational
assessments are now fast tracked.
 Priority in admissions for service children to schools, fast track admissions to
the nursery scheme and fast track admissions to the CAMHS (Child and
Adolescent Mental Health Services).






Raising awareness amongst professionals of the issues that service families
face. There are a number of examples of this and include such things as:
o 2 members of the Service Families Working Group attending the
Aylesbury, Buckingham, Wendover and Wing Local Children and Young
People’s Trust Partnership Board meeting.
o The Children and Young People’s Trust Delivery Unit organised a drop in
event, supported by the Service Children Support Network (SCSN), the
Transfer Support Team and the Educational Psychology Service, with a
display of art work entries from the international art competition recently
held by the SCSN, many of which were very poignant and gave an
interesting insight into life “through the eyes of a Service Child”.
o The Children and Young People’s Trust Delivery Unit are currently
exploring links with the Mandeville Legacy Project and Service Families.
o At the Children’s Commissioner for England Takeover Day 2011,
Buckinghamshire County Council’s Children and Young People’s Services
worked in partnership with seventeen Service Children and Young
People, to produce guidance and videos for Schools and organisations in
the county. This will be sent to all schools in the county, published on
various web sites and promoted to other organisations who work with
children and young people. Discussions are currently underway with the
Community Development Officer at RAF Halton on running a similar event
for adults.
The Buckinghamshire Family Information Service (BFIS) has recently developed
a targeted outreach plan with Service Families. Meetings have taken place at
both the Walters Ash and Halton bases and implemented a variety of measures
including: delivery of information sessions to service families in conjunction with
their local Children’s Centres; the distribution of starting point directory to both
bases to enable the information officer to signpost parents to BFIS for support
and an information officer will be at the Halton Combined School monthly to
answer queries from servicer families.
The Buckinghamshire Family Information Service is working with NCMA and Job
Centre Plus to provide an onsite childminding course aswell as information on
Flexible Free Entitlement (for 15 hrs of free early education) providers in the area.
South Bucks District and Chiltern District disregard war pensions in the
calculation of housing benefit for veterans
South Bucks District disregard overseas visiting forces staff for council tax if they
are staying in a property in the District.
In South Bucks District, members of the Territorial Army have a slight increase in
their earnings disregard (£20) if they are claiming benefit.
17. Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the wider
Community.
Next Steps
18. Action Plan
We intend to develop the outcomes of the work we do based broadly on the 5 Key
Aims of the Armed Forces Community Covenant:


Encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces communities in
their areas.
Nurture public understanding and public awareness amongst the public of
issues affecting the Armed Forces Community.



Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces
Community.
Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community
into local life.
Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the wider
community.
The action plan can be found in Appendix A.
Appendi
Activity
Measure
Responsibility
Encourage local communities to support the Armed Forces communities in their areas
Progress / Outcome
Nurture public understanding and public awareness amongst the public of issues affecting the Armed Forces Community
Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces Community
Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community into local life
Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the wider community
Appendix B
Extracts from a study of the veterans’ population in Hampshire, Oxfordshire,
Buckinghamshire and Berkshire by Gemma Framp, C2 Firm Base, 145 (South)
Brigade. For more information please contact the Firm Base branch of 145 Brigade
on 145x-firmbase-groupmailbox@mod.uk or 01252 347755.
Buckinghamshire
 There are between 28,000 and 42,000 veterans in Buckinghamshire, with a
further 190 resettling each year based on 18,500 leaving the UK Armed Forces per
year.
 There are 2,780 Armed forces personnel stationed in Buckinghamshire, which is
2% of all service personnel (figures as provided by Department Analytical Statistics
and Advice (DASA), correct as of 1st January 2011. These personnel are stationed by
District:
o
o
o
o
Wycombe
Aylesbury Valle
South Buckinghamshire
Chiltern
1530
1010
170
0
Further data can be sourced from www.dasa.mod.uk

Buckinghamshire has a largely RAF population, with RAF Halton and RAF High
Wycombe.

War Pensions paid by local authority:
Local Authority
Aylesbury Vale District
Council
Wycombe District Council
Chiltern District Council
South Buckinghamshire
District
Buckinghamshire
War
Pensions in
payment per
local
authority
War Pensions in
payment to
veteran per local
authority
War Pensions in
payment to War
Widow(er)s per local
authority
290
275
160
215
215
120
75
60
40
115
840
85
635
30
205
 There are 379 ex-service leavers listed as on the reserve list residing at a
postcode within Buckinghamshire, data provided from the joint personnel
administration business information cell, January 2011
 Ex-service leavers listed as on the reserve list residing at a postcode within the
following local authorities, data provided from JPA BIC at January 2011.
No of reserves listed
114
112
32
32
290
Local Authority
Aylesbury Vale District Council
Wycombe District Council
Chiltern District
South Buckinghamshire District Council
Buckinghamshire
 Armed forces pensions paid to individuals residing at a postcode within the
following local authorities, data provided by SPVA, as at 12th July 2011 and ranked by
ratio to population
Local Authority
Aylesbury Vale
Wycombe
South Buckinghamshire
Chiltern
Buckinghamshire
Armed Forces
Pension
Schemes in
Payment
1,220
940
240
320
2720
Population
of local
authority
Ratio of pensions in
payment to population
of local authority
173,500
163,600
66,600
90,900
494600
Sources of population data are: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-referencetables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-213645
Please note: this is not a literal veterans ratio but a guideline comparing pensions in
payment with local authority population sizes
13% of the total armed forces pensions are paid in the 145 (South) Brigade areas, of
which 1% is in Buckinghamshire
1:142
1:174
1:277
1:284