Agenda item

A report will be submitted to provide an update on the Armed Forces Covenant and the work of the Kirklees Armed Forces Covenant Board.

Contact: Vina Randhawa, Democracy Manager

A report was submitted to provide an update on the Armed Forces Covenant and the work of the Kirklees Armed Forces Covenant Board.

Councillor Beverley Addy, the responsible Portfolio Holder was present at the meeting and gave an introduction explaining that she worked closely with Councillor Masood Ahmed, as the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, and the Armed Forces Covenant (AFC) Board. The Board was formed of a number of partners who came together to progress work to fulfil the legal duty and support the armed forces community. It aimed to understand the needs of the community by working with local organisations such as Tommy’s Lounge and the Royal Veterans Hub. The Council was committed to supporting the armed forces community by working across the range of Council services, in partnership with external partners, local and national charities, other public sector organisations and businesses. The mandate was to remove disadvantage, not to give advantageous treatment, although special consideration was appropriate, in some cases, for those who had given the most.

Vina Randhawa, the Democracy Manager and Councillor Masood Ahmed, the Armed Forces Champion and Chair of the AFC Board gave a presentation with the following points being highlighted:

·       The background to the Armed Forces Covenant, which was a promise made by the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces and their families were treated fairly and with respect.

·       The principles of the covenant were to remove disadvantage faced by the armed forces community and to recognise the unique challenges they faced and the sacrifices that they had made. There was a legal obligation on certain public bodies to have due regard to the principles when exercising certain functions. The Government had stated that focus was particularly needed to remove disadvantage in the areas of healthcare, education and housing.

·       Kirklees Council had signed the covenant in July 2017 with cross-party and partner support. This had led to the establishment of the AFC Board which encouraged collaboration between partners; fostering understanding of needs and sharing information but also about looking at how the community could be actively supported.

·       Kirklees took a partnership approach; 47 organisations in the district had signed the covenant, a number of which were actively engaged in the AFC Board. Connections were maintained across West Yorkshire to share good practice and Board members participated in forums and attended national and regional events. All the local NHS Trusts were now involved and significant work had been done to engage with GP practices across the district.

·       The Board had developed an action plan which included both Council and partner priorities. It had achieved a ‘strong’ silver in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme and was working towards Gold.

·       A number of initiatives had been undertaken in respect of decision-making, training (including four e-learning modules), recruitment and relevant policies.

·       The progress made since the last visit to the Committee (in June 2023) including:

-       A specific webpage to help members of the community find the information and access the contacts they needed.

-       Promoting awareness and understanding of the covenant.

-       A page on the Kirklees TV website; which included podcasts, vlogs and interviews to celebrate and raise awareness.

-       The work with GP practices to become veteran friendly accredited.

-       Work with schools to ensure that students from an armed forces background were identified so that tailored support could be offered.

-       Employment initiatives and engagement with local businesses.

-       Support of events such as Remembrance Day.

-       The use of the allocated budget to support various initiatives and organisations.

·       An outline of the priorities for the future:

-       Encouraging staff with a military connection to help shape the work of the AFC Board.

-       Closer working with WYCA to share best practice and maximise efficiency and use of resources.

-       Promote the e-learning offer, including suicide prevention training.

-       Further development of the number of GPs practices being accredited.

-       Strengthen links with the cadet’s movement.

-       Identifying external funding to support existing initiatives and develop a one-stop shop.

Also present was Mick Riley, a veteran, member of the AFC Board and the co-founder of Tommy’s Lounge and director of the charity ‘Tommy’s Voice’. He gave a presentation covering:

·       The concept and background behind the development of Tommy’s Lounge; including his personal experience as a member of the armed forces and the impact upon leaving this role after 27 years.

·       The minimal support available at that point to assist people in making the transition to a completely new lifestyle and the difficulties associated with that including the severe impact on mental health.

·       The immense value and impact of support provided by people who have credible shared experience and understanding.

·       The development of Tommy’s Lounge as a coffee lounge to provide a safe space where veterans would feel comfortable and could meet to talk to each other on a one-to-one basis, without alcohol, and be themselves. This included bespoke coffee made by a veteran and the venue being decorated with personal memorabilia, added to by people who visit, which also provided a source of connection and conversation between strangers and thus helping to establish relationships and peer support.

·       He had been invited to join the AFC Board to provide ‘ground truth’ about the reality for people in the armed forces community.

·       The work being done to develop Tommy’s Lounge/Tommy’s Voice to become a one-stop shop across the range of services; to assist and support those who had not previously had to deal with matters such as paying rent, finding accommodation, claiming benefits, applying for a job, pensions, getting photographic ID, accessing medical care and budgeting in navigating the policies and processes. This was also a benefit for the Council. 

·       The work undertaken to raise awareness of the impacts of PTSD and provide training to assist businesses in helping someone who is struggling and the introduction of a PTSD card.

·       The major challenge for Tommy’s Lounge was funding. It had been self-funded up to this point but the income was not sufficient to be sustainable and cover overheads. £12k was enough to keep it running for twelve months.

·       In terms of the current approach in Kirklees;

-       strategically there was a lot that was being done right but more resources were needed.

-       The AF champions in services, who were aware of the issues faced by those in the community, were a valuable resource but needed to be used as the first point of contact.

-       Communication about relevant events could be improved and involvement/ participation of veterans in ceremonies such as flag raising for AF day.

-       The establishment of a one-stop shop would assist in achieving the gold standard.

Questions and comments were invited from Committee Members, with the following issues being covered:

·       Thanks were expressed to Vina for her work and commitment in this area.

·       The Committee thanked Mick for his open and frank presentation and for the support he and Tommy’s Lounge were providing to veterans.

·       The hope was expressed that the Council and Board would continue to work together to overcome the barriers and constraints affecting Tommy’s Lounge.

·       The commitment made by the 28 GP practices was welcomed. In response to a question about services associated with mental health and PTSD and referrals it was explained that Tommy’s Lounge worked closely with Project One and also had ties to Op Courage (an NHS mental health specialist service designed to help veterans and their families) that meant that urgent referrals could be organised for someone in crisis. There were routes to get people the necessary support and this was recognised, by the Board as an important area of need. Representatives of these agencies were on the Board.

·       From the information given, Tommy’s Lounge was best placed to assist veterans and could potentially save significant expense for the public sector in preventing people reaching crisis point or helping those that had. This could also be true for other voluntary sector organisations, and it would be beneficial for the Council/NHS to assess the value provided by these services and the impact if they were lost.

·       Councillor Addy, as Portfolio Holder, and Councillor Ahmed, as AF Champion, said that they were committed to work with Mick to try and find the necessary funding and, although this may not come directly from the Council, support could be provided in advocating and working towards a longer-term future. 

·       Work was being undertaken on a funding bid.

·       Champions were now in place in a number of services and would be working to ensure that staff undertook the armed forces covenant training so that they could understand the challenges and needs of this community and ensure the necessary support was provided. It was also hoped to undertake briefings for staff to help them understand lived experience and the challenges and to provide an improved response.

·       Tommy’s Lounge welcomed the wider public as well as veterans and it was proposed that the Committee make a visit.

·       It would be helpful to know how many members of the armed forces there were within Kirklees, the numbers of reservists and veterans and how many military charities were in existence.

·       It would be helpful if all Councillors could encourage businesses and GPs to sign up to the covenant and raise awareness where possible.

RESOLVED -

1.    That the Cabinet Member, Armed Forces Champion and the Democracy Manager be thanked for attending the meeting to provide a progress report in respect of the Armed Forces Covenant.

2.    That Mick Riley, of Tommy’s Lounge be thanked for his attendance and enlightening and informative presentation.

3.    That the Committee visit Tommy’s Lounge to see the work being undertaken at first-hand.

4.    That the progress made by the Kirklees Armed Forces Covenant Board, to date, be welcomed.

5.    That the Committee’s comments be fed back to the Board for consideration in the development of its Action Plan for 2025/25

6.    That additional information be provided for Members in respect of the numbers of armed forces personnel, including veterans and reservists in Kirklees and local military charities.

7.    That it be recommended that all Councillors should take every opportunity to raise awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant and to encourage local businesses and organisations in their area to sign.

8.    That a further progress update by submitted to the Committee at an appropriate point.