EHDC honoured to receive the 2024 Gold Employer Recognition Scheme Award
Supporting our armed forces community is a priority for the council and we are proud to have been recognised with a Gold Award.
We have long-standing bonds with local armed forces communities and have fostered a working environment which is welcoming and attractive to reservists and ex-service men and women.
We re-signed our Armed Forces Covenant in 2022 and more recently we launched an Armed Forces Stakeholder Group. This is a network of local groups, organisations and military charities who work together to ensure that our veterans and members of the Armed Forces families have access to support if needed.
New policies have been put in place which offer additional support to reservists and members of the cadet forces, allowing them to fulfil their commitments while working at the council.
We also have a guaranteed interview scheme in place for former servicemen and women applying for roles at the council.
These extra measures have contributed toward elevating our status from Silver to Gold and goes to show that we understand the value that reserve forces and ex-armed forces personnel bring to our local communities and to the workplace.
Armed Force Champion and Royal Navy veteran, Councillor Phil Shaw, our said: “It's fantastic news that EHDC has been awarded the Defence Employment Recognition Scheme Gold Award.
"The council provides a wide range of services, with a variety of different roles where ex-service personnel could use their expertise and experience to forge a successful career."
“We believe it is important to support members of the Armed Forces, as an employer and we have made great efforts to do that. And we are immensely proud of receiving the Gold Award in recognition of that work.”
The award shows we have achieved the gold standard and recognises that we proactively advocate and support the armed forces through our commitment internally, and to the wider community.
An award ceremony at the beginning of October at Portsmouth dockyard will be held to recognise and celebrate our achievement.
This award comes ahead of a Veterans Festival, planned for early next year. Vets Fest will be a drop-in event giving ex-service people an opportunity to meet with service charities, for advice, assistance and support. Aimed at serving and former members of the armed forces community, including their families, who live and work within our district.
Arranged in partnership between EHDC, the Office of Damian Hinds MP for East Hampshire, and the Royal British Legion, more information will follow soon.
To find out what support is available for our armed forces in East Hampshire, including clubs and networking opportunities please take a look at Armed Forces in the community.
For more information contact our Armed Forces Champion – Cllr Phil Shaw or email our Armed Forces Officers – Joanne Utting and Hannah Robbins at communitynorth@easthants.gov.uk