COMMUNITY leaders are to sign a covenant with the armed forces.
Members of Flintshire Council, unanimously supported the adoption of a Flintshire Community Covenant showing mutual support between civilian communities and their local armed forces community.
Flintshire is due to host an armed forces day for North Wales in June and Cllr Aaron Shotton, leader of Flintshire Council, expressed his pleasure at the covenant being agreed and said he hoped 2013 would reaffirm the county’s commitment to the armed forces.
Several other councillors spoke favourably about the covenant and the contribution made by the armed forces.
Cllr Peter Curtis, who served for 28 years with the Royal Air Force, said he was delighted at Flintshire signing up to the community covenant.
He said: “We have seen the problems when people have left the services and struggled to find work. Hopefully they don’t have to be second class citizens any more.”
Cllr Mike Peers said: “There is a debt we owe to them. They literally put their lives on the line for us and their country.”
Tanya Clancy, military chief integratation officer for 160 (Wales) Brigade, said the covenant seeks to encourage people in local communities to support the armed forces in their area.
It also intends to help encourage the Armed Forces community to help and support the wider community, such as by participating in events and providing grant funding for projects.
The covenant seeks to recognise the unique nature of the services and help ensure there is no disadvantage to service personnel because of their background, such as when accessing public services.
Another main principle is to allow special treatment where justified, such as in the case of injured personnel.