Nottingham City Council has today been handed a major award by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for continued support of the Armed Forces.
The authority has been presented with a Silver Award in the 2021 MOD Employer Recognition Scheme.
This bestows Bronze, Silver and Gold accreditations on those employers who support the wider Forces community and their families, while aligning their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
Nottingham has a proud history of support for the Armed Forces and the local men and women who have served their country.
In recent years, the city has hosted a national Armed Forces Day event and, along with Nottinghamshire County Council, the authority became one of the first in 2013 to sign the covenant pledging practical help for military communities.
The MOD’s silver status requires all employers to ensure:
- That members of the Forces community are not disadvantaged in their recruitment and selection process
- That all positive policies relating to Defence personnel are internally-publicised
- That they employ at least one individual from the Armed Forces category that their nomination emphasises
- If required, that they have demonstrated support to Reservist mobilisations
- That they align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant
All entries are subject to a rigorous validation process by a selection board made up of senior military personnel.
The Council became a Bronze award holder in 2019 and at an Executive Board meeting in October last year, the authority reaffirmed its support for the covenant and the authority’s Armed Forces Action Plan.
Since then, the Council has signed up with the Career Transition Partnership – a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and Right Management Ltd – that provides resettlement services for those leaving the Forces.
Ex-service personnel are provided with details of the most relevant job opportunities, while the Council is in the process of registering with Forces Families Jobs to advertise positions through that route.
In addition, the ‘Supporting Veterans of the Armed Forces’ page on the Council’s website has recently been updated to help people request help and advice with health concerns, employment, education and skills, family support and housing.
The council has also been instrumental in the construction of a new war memorial on Victoria Embankment which features the names of all 13,482 people from Nottinghamshire who lost their lives in the First World War.
Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark, Armed Forces Champion for Nottingham City Council, said: “We have been long-time supporters of the Armed Forces in Nottingham and this was reflected by us being one of the first local authorities to sign the covenant eight years ago.
“We owe servicemen and women a huge debt of gratitude for the enormous sacrifices they – and their families – continue to make on our behalf. Providing support services and routes into employment when they leave the Forces is a small token of our appreciation.
“Having previously held Bronze accreditation with the MOD Employer Recognition Scheme, I’m delighted that the Council’s hard work and commitment to these pledges has resulted in a Silver award for 2021.”
Mel Barrett, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Council, said: “Becoming a Silver Award holder reflects the excellent work carried out by a number of colleagues across the Council which contributed to the successful application we put forward.
“We’re proud to be a recognised by the Armed Forces community and this further supports our aspirations to be an employer of choice for people in Nottingham.”