SaBRE recently launched a campaign to encourage Local Governments to support Reservists.
Local Governments and Councils are large employers of Reservists. This is why SaBRE recently organised a campaign to encourage Chief Executives in these organisations across Great Britain to publicly declare their support for Reservist employees. By signing up to the SaBRE online listing of supportive employers, they are making their support visible to Reservists across the country.
As part of this campaign, three Local Government representatives were sent to Afghanistan on a fact-finding visit to see first-hand the vital role that Reservists play in the Armed Forces. One of the attendees, Sir Steve Bullock, Chairman of Local Government Employers and Mayor of Lewisham, said:
Reservists are ‘can do’ people who are committed public servants – a description that also happens to summarise exactly the kind of people local government needs."
Following the three-day visit, an article was written for the Local Government Chronicle. This noted the experiences of Reservists and the importance of their employers’ support. A press ad was also released, thanking the 222 Local Governments who have already pledged their support and calling for those who haven’t to add their names.
Of course, for Local Governments there are benefits to employing Reservists. Corporal Charles, a Reservist who works as a building control officer for Nottingham City Council, acknowledges that he has matured and developed while on duty in Afghanistan in ways that benefit his civilian work:
Working in places like Afghanistan really builds your confidence to deal with different situations and manage workload.”
The current total of publicly supportive councils stands at 245. Hopefully, SaBRE’s campaign will ensure that more and more Local Authorities continue to add their public support to SaBRE’s online listing. See the full list of supportive councils here.