Military personnel and their families face a postcode lottery when it comes to accessing local services, a report by the Commons Defence Committee has revealed.
The committee found that the Armed Forces Covenant is ‘inconsistently applied’, and that the experiences of service personnel ‘vary considerably as a result.’
The Armed Forces Covenant commits public bodies, such as local authorities, to ensuring those who have served in the military receive special recognition or treatment.
However, some personnel told the committee that they felt the covenant was ineffective or had even been disregarded in some cases.
Mark Atkinson, representing the Royal British Legion, said that while some councils fulfil their duties under the covenant, others do not.
‘When you speak to local authorities, there is a real distribution of views about what the covenant means and how it should be applied,’ he said.
Committee chair Tan Dhesi MP said: ‘When the Covenant works – it works well…But this is a lottery, made worse by the unpredictability and mobility of service life.’
Cllr David Fothergill, chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, backed a call from the committee for more guidance on delivering covenant duties, but added that councils need to be adequately funded to deliver it.
.png)
