East Cambridgeshire District Council

Councillors at East Cambridgeshire District Council have signed up to the Community Covenant this week.

The initiative led by the Ministry of Defence is designed to encourage mutual support between the civilian community and its local Armed Forces.

The Covenant aims to:

*    Nurture public understanding and awareness amongst the public on issues affecting the Armed Forces Community;
*    Recognise and remember the sacrifices faced by the Armed Forces Community;
*    Encourage activities which help to integrate the Armed Forces Community into local life;
*    Encourage the Armed Forces Community to help and support the wider community whether through participation in events and joint projects, or other forms of engagement.

Cambridgeshire County Council signed up to the Covenant before Christmas and is looking to set up Cambridgeshire Covenant Board which East Cambridgeshire will now be involved with.

Cllr Richard Hobbs, Chairman of Community and Environment sub-committee at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “In recent years the British public has developed a new found respect and admiration for the country’s Armed Forces. I think that they understood that no matter the reasons behind going to war – those people who our fighting in foreign fields deserve our support. The Community Covenant develops these links further as it aims to integrate civil and armed forces lives closer together.

“In East Cambridgeshire, we have a strong tradition of backing our soldiers, sailors and airmen and women so we are proud to sign up to the Covenant. The next stage is to look at how we use this as an opportunity to work together across the county to ensure we develop communities which include us all.”