Agenda item

To receive the annual Armed Forces Covenant report.

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Civic Pride, presented a report, which highlighted that the Council had made a clear and sustained commitment to support the borough’s armed forces community and the report provided an update on the work that had been undertaken during 2025/26 to:

• Support the Armed Forces community within the borough.
• Meet the Council’s commitments to the Armed Forces Covenant.
• Further develop the offer made by Telford and Wrekin Council, and partners, to support its Armed Forces Community and those with an armed forces connection.

The report set out the significant progress the Council had made in supporting the borough’s Armed Forces community and hopefully gave an insight into the outline and the plans for the year ahead.  The Council's Armed Forces Outreach Programme went well beyond the minimum obligations that many other local authorities sadly were in a position to only deliver.

As an employer, the Council had secured the revalidation of the Armed Forces Covenant Gold, awarded by the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, which the Cabinet Member was very proud of and had had a positive impact on employees and the workforce here within the Council.  Equally, it also allowed the Council to think as to how it could help support its veterans across the borough and it had enabled the Council to put some positive initiatives out into the community.

Whether it was a change to the Council’s HR policies, which supported those who had served or were reservists throughout the year, the Council had grown that armed forces staff network and it had been key.  The offer went beyond the valued employees and also focused, rightly, on veterans and their families across the borough.

The Cabinet Member was pleased that the report had identified many positives, and he touched on the opening of the Christopher Turley Armed Forces Community Hub where a significant amount of work had gone into generating, creating, staffing and making available a centralised hub that all veterans and their families could access throughout the year.  There was an ongoing commitment detailed in the report to ensure that this went from strength to strength.

The Hub was a dedicated space, which provided tailored advice and support, and the Cabinet Member said it had been a pleasure to be involved with this year.

The Council had continued the expansion of its Outreach Programme, which now delivered over 55 hours of community engagement on a monthly basis and included cafes, craft groups, drop-in sessions to tackle isolation and improve well-being.

The Models for Heroes Programme had been a runaway success and had attracted a high profile in the press since it was clearly something that was valued.  He said it had been a privilege to have joined them on a number of occasions and the work that they had done had provided a lovely, very kind and supportive environment for those veterans, regardless of how and where they had served, to come together and take part in doing something that required some focus and a bit of chit chat.

Another success was Armed Forces Day, and the Cabinet Member thanked the Council’s Events Team and everybody else that got involved with the event.  Donington hosted again this year and it had been a superb event, and the Cabinet Member looked forward to seeing what would unfold this coming year.

The granting the freedom of the borough to D Squadron, the Shropshire Yeomanry, had been another proud moment for Telford and Wrekin and another way in which the Council recommitted its thanks to those that served. 

Pride funding from borough councillors had continued to support many activities, a vital way in which as councillors, could just do a little bit in our local communities to support veterans and their families.  The achievements demonstrated the Council’s unwavering commitment to the covenant and to the positive impact the work had on local veterans.

The Cabinet Member placed on record his sincere thanks to the Council’s officers and, crucially, its partners that had delivered so much value and continued to work tirelessly to deliver those outcomes that supported the borough’s’ our veterans’ community and their families.  The dedication and collaboration had been instrumental in making these events and outreach tasks an absolute success and that it would not have been possible without them.

Looking ahead, the report set out plans, which would include strengthening of the office, secure key posts and expanding the outreach activities even more. 

Importantly, the Council was preparing to engage with Operation Valour, the Government's £50 million initiative to create national support hubs and that the Council would work to prepare and submit a strong bid, one that was built upon the Council’s existing successes locally and it would seek to work closely with Shaun Davis, the Labour MP for Telford and with the Labour Government to ensure that Telford and Wrekin was at the forefront of any opportunity that it might be able to attract.

In conclusion, the Cabinet Member said that the report reflected a clear message, that when everyone worked together, the Council, partners and community, it delivered real tangible change.

The agenda for today’s meeting at its core was clearly focused on the way in which the Administration continued to deliver on its commitment to protect, care, and invest in the borough and for its residents, whether it was to those who needed access to award-winning adult and children's services, whether it was looking to provide clean, green, sustainable future for the borough’s children, or whether it was recognising and supporting those in the borough’s brilliant veterans community.  Everything discussed today had been incredibly positive and he was proud of this Administration and the officers in which it leads.

RESOLVED, that:

(a)  The progress made in delivering the Council’s “offer” to the borough’s Armed Forces community and particularly, the opening of the Christopher Turley Armed Forces Community Hub, be noted.

(b)  Funding of £55,000 to drive and enhance the Council’s armed forces covenant offer, be approved.