Armed forces covenant
The armed forces covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
The covenant is a national responsibility involving government, businesses, local authorities, charities and the public.
East Hampshire District Council has signed the armed forces covenant along with local representatives from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army.
- Armed forces covenant (pdf 274 kb)
- Armed forces covenant signing 2022 (video link)
East Hampshire District Council's armed forces champion is Cllr Phil Shaw.
East Hampshire District Council covers the towns of Whitehill & Bordon, Petersfield, Alton and many villages and hamlets in between, with 10% of our households having at least one veteran, higher than the national average (UK Census 2021 data). With a long and proud history with the armed forces, EHDC re-signed the armed forces covenant in 2022.
Meet the team
Armed Forces Champion – Cllr Phil Shaw
Armed Forces Officer – Joanne Utting and Hannah Robbins - communitynorth@easthants.gov.u
Defence employer recognition scheme
The defence employer recognition scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same.
The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the armed forces covenant.
East Hampshire District Council received the Gold Award for this scheme in September 2024.
The award has been given to show we have achieved the gold standard and that we proactively advocate and support our armed forces, communicating our commitment both internally to colleagues and externally to the wider community through established policies and examples of support.
We have demonstrated our 'forces-friendly' credentials as part of our recruitment and selection process.
Armed forces stakeholder group
The armed forces stakeholder group was launched in 2022 with local and national organisations, charities and community groups working together to ensure the armed forces community is not disadvantaged in any way.
If you would like to know more about the AF Stakeholder Group, please contact us by email: communitynorth@easthants.gov.uk.
History of the armed forces in East Hampshire
East Hampshire District Council covers the towns of Whitehill & Bordon, Petersfield, Alton and many villages and hamlets in between.
Ten percent of our households contain at least one veteran, which is higher than the national average of 7% (UK Census 2021 data).
Our district has a long and proud association with the armed forces.
Follow the links below to find out about our military heritage:
Remembrance day and armed forces day
We support Town and Parish Council who hold their own remembrance day events.
Where possible, we send our councillors to represent the council and lay wreaths. We also have an events page on our website, which we signpost them to. It offers information such as road closures, health and safety information and licensing.
For armed forces day in 2023, EHDC flew the armed forces day flag over Penns Place to show our support for the brave men and women who do so much to protect our way of life at home and abroad.
We also advertised celebrations happening across the district open to the community.