Council receives esteemed award for work with Armed Forces

This honour nationally recognises the council's commitment to supporting serving and retired armed forces personnel. The award comes after the council pledged to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise from the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

"We're very proud to be part of this scheme and to demonstrate our commitment to supporting the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our nation," says Councillor Tracie Bangert, Chichester District Council's Cabinet Member for Communities. "We recognise the vital contribution that serving members of the Armed Forces, veterans, reservists, and their families, play in our local community.

"The Chichester District shares a strong affinity with the Armed Forces — six per cent of our population are veterans, and our district is the home to the only military base in West Sussex. The base, which is in Southbourne, accommodates nearly 2,000 personnel and families.

"As a council, it's really important to us that we are there to support our Armed Forces community, including helping them to access the same support and services as everyone else, and we want to inspire others to do the same."

The scheme has three levels - Bronze, Silver and Gold - and to achieve an accreditation, organisations must proactively demonstrate that the Armed Forces community are not unfairly disadvantaged as part of their recruitment policies and must actively ensure their workforce is aware of the positive policies towards members of the Armed Forces community.

Date of Release: 23 October 2023

Reference: 4281