These are: Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS), other civilian agencies and the military community in Berkshire.
The RBCMPB aims to make sure there is appropriate support for the military community (serving personnel (regular and reservists), their families, veterans, including from the Commonwealth, and cadets) who serve, live and work in Berkshire.
The board will maintain good relationships with the Ministry of Defence, 11 Security Force Assistance Brigade, London District and their nominated Task Force Commanders within the county of Berkshire. This will create a joint understanding of each other's concerns and methods of working to make sure that the military community are not disadvantaged by their service and are given appropriate recognition and status within the county.
Functions
The functions of the board are:
- to maintain the existing 'military friendly' position in Berkshire and build upon it by sharing good practice in relation to the Armed Forces Covenant (including the emerging duties);
- to raise awareness to ensure compliance with the Armed Forces Covenant duty across Berkshire;
- to champion the armed forces in Berkshire through its nominated Armed Forces Champions; developing greater shared awareness of the needs of the armed forces community and recognising and honouring the commitment given by them through Armed Forces Week, Reserves Day, Remembrance events and other shared occasions. For more information, please see the Armed Forces day website;
- to act as a platform to address countywide issues relating to the Armed Forces Covenant in Berkshire, giving strategic direction and advice to further strengthen links between civilian communities and the military;
- to promote awareness of the support services available to the armed forces community throughout Berkshire.
Priorities
The priority themes are:
- health and wellbeing: supporting the health and mental health of the military community;
- education: supporting the military community, in particular the children and young people to thrive in educational establishments;
- housing: endeavouring to ensure that veterans and their families have a safe and secure home;
- employment: supporting those leaving and who have left the services to be gainfully employed;
- equalities: ensuring the military family are not disadvantaged compared to other residents in the provision of public and commercial services.
