County council earns gold accolade for armed forces work
LEICESTERSHIRE county council has received a national accolade for its support and being advocates for the armed forces community in Leicestershire.
The authority is one of 17 organisations in the East Midlands to receive the prestigious Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) gold award, which recognises the work of employers in supporting defence personnel and encourages others to do the same.
To achieve gold medal status, the council had to outline and demonstrate some of the initiatives which it has been involved with. These include:
• Hosting public civic events to honour the armed forces, such as last year’s Armed Forces Day ceremony, held at County Hall, which saw an army veteran raise a flag in support of those who have and continue to serve their country;
• Rehabilitation ‘taster’ work placements in environment and transport – working with an occupational therapist from the Defence National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall - for injured and sick veterans to help them adjust back into civilian life;
• The creation of the Armed Forces Network, which provides peer support for county council employees who are members of the armed forces family and mentoring for new starter veterans, as well as an online support network for those who cannot attend the quarterly meetings;
• Displays of armed forces-related creative projects work from local schools and heritage projects themed around the First World War;
• Continued support and fundraising for the Royal British Legion.
The council also had to demonstrate that it provides 10 extra paid days leave for reservists and has supportive HR policies in place for all members of the armed forces community, which includes veterans, reservists, cadet force adult volunteers and spouses and partners of those serving in the armed forces.
The authority already held the ERS silver award and is now one of 353 organisations across the UK which has achieved the gold standard.
Coun Louise Richardson, the county council’s armed forces champion, said: “We are extremely pleased and proud that our work supporting Leicestershire’s armed forces family has been recognised in this award. Over the past few years we have worked hard to improve our practices and procedures and continue to celebrate and commemorate this import cohort of our community.
“We are committed to continue to grow this programme of work and look forward to lots of exciting projects with our veterans, reservists, cadets and forces families in the coming years.”
The gold award will be held by Leicestershire County Council for five years.