The Armed Forces Covenant
Muircroft has now successfully become a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant.
We commit to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant and support the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the contribution that Service personnel, both regular and reservist, veterans and military families make to our organisation, our community and to the country.
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Click below to view the signatory PDF.
An Enduring Covenant Between
The People of the United Kingdom
His Majesty’s Government
– and –
All those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown
And their Families
The first duty of Government is the defence of the realm. Our Armed Forces fulfil that responsibility on behalf of the Government, sacrificing some civilian freedoms, facing danger and, sometimes, suffering serious injury or death as a result of their duty. Families also play a vital role in supporting the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces. In return, the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment.
Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most, such as the injured and the bereaved.
This obligation involves the whole of society: it includes voluntary and charitable bodies, private organisations, and the actions of individuals in supporting the Armed Forces. Recognising those who have performed military duty unites the country and demonstrates the value of their contribution. This has no greater expression than in upholding this Covenant.
Section 1: Principles of The Armed Forces Covenant
1.1 We, Muircroft Housing Association, will endeavour to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant:
- Members of the Armed Forces Community should not face disadvantages arising from their service in the provision of public and commercial services.
- In some circumstances special provision may be justified, especially for those who have given the most, such as the injured or bereaved.
2.1 We recognise the contribution that Service personnel, reservists, veterans, the cadet movement and military families make to our organisation, our community and to the country. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant by:
- Employment: The Board, in its capacity as a small employer, expresses strong support for efforts to assist and promote opportunities for veterans transitioning out of military service. The Board will explore how Muircroft can become an AFC friendly employer.
- Procurement: The Board encourages its suppliers — and organisations wishing to work with Muircroft — to also be signatories to the AFC. The Board will accept a supplier’s signatory status to the AFC as a recognised element of any social impact measurement within procurement and tender assessments.
- Housing: The Board notes that ALL applications to join the Muircroft housing register are consid-ered on the applicants’ individual circumstances e.g. current housing need, an independent living assessment, being 60 years of age +, local connection to the New Forest etc. Furthermore, the Board believes that our allocations policy does not present a disadvantage to an applicant who may be from the veteran community as the majority of the Associations empty homes are allo-cated via nominations from New Forest District Council (NFDC) who is also a signatory to the AFC. The Board approved the addition of a codicil to the Association’s Allocations Policy confirming:
“Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the pro-vision of public and commercial services.” To this end Muircroft welcomes applications from the veteran community.
2.2 We will publicise these commitments through our literature and/or on our website, setting out how we will seek to honour them and inviting feedback from the Armed Forces Community and our customers on how we are doing.