Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant is a voluntary statement of support between the civilian and local Armed Forces communities and is intended to complement the national Armed Forces Covenant, which outlines the moral obligation between the country, the Government and the Armed Forces, at the local level.

Afghanistan - Support for veterans

The UK government have collated a range of information and support to help members of the Armed Forces who are struggling as a result of the recent events in Afghanistan.

View support for veterans (GOV.UK)

The Covenant in Richmond

The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames was one of the first London boroughs to sign a community covenant giving greater assistance to servicemen and women and their families.

View the Covenant(pdf, 172KB)

Funding and support

Individuals or organisations can apply for financial support to set up and carry out projects that meet one or more of the Civil Pride Fund priorities. We welcome applications in support of previous and current members of the armed forces. Find out more about the Civic Pride Fund.

The government's Covenant Grant Scheme is available to Covenant partnerships to build further on this work.

We revised the housing allocation policy in 2012 to recognise the contribution of returning members of the Armed Forces. This policy includes a quota for local ex-service personnel in housing need. As a Council we have also signed up to the pan London shared ownership scheme which prioritises ex-service personnel for low cost shared ownership.

Discounts on Council Tax are available to eligible members of the Armed Forces.

The local agreement between the Council, Richmond Council for Voluntary Service, NHS Richmond and the military means that new support, e.g. training, housing, school admissions, adult social care or medical needs, will be given for service personnel and their families.

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day Services are held throughout the borough. We publicise and encourage residents across the borough to attend one of the services where they can pay their respects to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. Events in previous years have included a parade of Armed Forces veterans, civic dignitaries and religious officials, church services, a two minute silence to commemorate the cessation of the First World War, and the laying of wreaths.

Contact

For further information please contact Louise Nicholls by email at louise.nicholls@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk.