New Armed Forces Covenant Duty
The new covenant duty places a legal obligation on organisations to pay "due regard to the principles of the Covenant" and requires decisions about the development and delivery of relevant services to be made with conscious consideration of the needs of the armed forces community.
The covenant duty requires in-scope bodies to be aware of the unique obligations and sacrifices made by the armed forces community and the disadvantages they experience in accessing services in healthcare, housing, and education. It is these disadvantages the covenant duty seeks to address.
About the Armed Forces Covenant
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation to those who serve.
It says we will do all we can to ensure they are treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives.
This includes offering injured servicemen and women and bereaved families extra support where appropriate.
Community covenants complement, at a local level, the Armed Forces Covenant, which outlines the moral obligation between the nation, the government, and the armed forces.
It encourages local communities to support the armed forces community in their area and promote understanding and awareness among the public of issues affecting the armed forces community.
The aims of the Armed Forces Community Covenant (AFCC) are to:
- encourage local communities to support the armed forces community in their areas and to nurture public understanding and awareness among the public of issues affecting the armed forces community
- recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the armed forces community
- encourage activities that help to integrate the armed forces community into local life
- encourage the armed forces community to help and support the wider community, whether through participation in events and joint projects, or other forms of engagement
The AFCC for Central Bedfordshire was signed in December 2011: download Armed Forces Community Covenant (PDF 740.8KB) 
.
For more about the Armed Forces Covenant and what it means for you, visit the GOV.UK website.
To get in contact in regards to the Armed Forces Covenant or to contact the Covenant Champion, please email partnerships.communityengagementteam@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.