The Sandbag Times - Issue No: 55

The Armed Forces Covenant
UNDERSTANDING IT
AND GETTING THE BEST FROM IT
By P Snow.
In my last issue, we took a look at what the covenant really is in relation to our (veterans) rights.
Maybe not the comforting words everybody wants but I believe we have to be honest with the
facts before we can understand and improve our situation.
A recent incident with the Tommy Atkins Centre issue showed me that if you go to authorities and
departments all guns blazing quoting things like ‘The Armed Forces Covenant states...’ the chances
are the shutters will come down and you will get nothing. The simple fact is, the Covenant is
not a legal binding contract, nor does it carry legal requirements for councils, authorities, health
departments etc to act. A sad and arguable point but there it is. That’s what we have for the time
being so how do we get the best out of it?
If there is one thing I learnt from my time in the army, it’s that communication is vital. I’m sure
most of us will agree with that. Indeed, in dealing with the covenant, this stands more
important than anything else. Just because somebody signs up to the covenant it doesn’t
mean to say they are legally bound. The housing issue we had has now been resolved
with a very positive outcome simply by sitting around a table with those key holders
and working things through but it is extremely important to have a well informed
and capable speaker with a little flair for calm negotiation. In short, mutual
respect and understanding is the key for the covenant to work. And it can
work
I also discovered how local authorities can use discretionary powers to assist in
implementing the covenant. Worcester City Council has just proved this with an approach
to Veteran housing in its catchment area. Without going in to the in’s and out’s a serviceman
moving into Worcester after service will not have to endure years at the bottom of the council
list along with priority preference to those injured in service mentally and physically. This alone
is a great result and a very positive bond between the authorities and veterans agencies. Again,
communication was the winning ingredient here.
Having said all of this, there are those who still do not work alongside the covenant for whatever
reason. Never be afraid to challenge them if they have signed up. After all, by signing the
covenant means those who do sign have a moral obligation to get involved with supporting
veterans. If they are not doing so, then they should not wear the badge, as it where. This can
sometimes help if all else has failed but do please remember the moral obligation does not mean a
legal requirement and at the end of the day, they actually don’t have to do anything.
But as we said before, good negotiating skills, calm heads and positive communication very often
solves any problems you may be facing.
My final point for this Armed Forces Covenant Guide for this month is to remember that the
civilian community is wholly unaware of the plights veterans face. They also have lives which, in
many cases, does not involve military or veteran communities. Be patient. In a recent case, I had
to sit with a senior councillor and explain what PTSD really was. Once the effect on a veteran was
explained to him, attitudes changed very rapidly in veterans favour. We all have to be educated at
some point in our life, so lets play a part in educating (in a positive way) the civilian community
so they better understand why veterans can sometimes need a little extra help and so understand
why the Armed Forces Covenant was written in the first place.
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