Surrey Civilian Military Partnership Board
Successes 2014/15
The Surrey Civilian Military Partnership Board (SCMPB) has a high-level remit to ensure that the
military community (serving personnel and their families, reservists, cadets, veterans, service
charities and welfare organisations) are given appropriate recognition and status within the county,
and to maintain good relationships with the MOD and the military command structure within the
county so that potential problems and frictions can be averted in good time and at the right level.
The Board, which meets twice a year, is supported by two Task Groups – Recognise and
Remember Task Group, and the newly formed Community Integration Task Group (which combined
the Transition Task Group and Armed Forces Network). The Board operates with the full support of
11 Infantry Brigade, which took over responsibility for Surrey from 2 (SE) Brigade on 4 December
2014. Meetings, where appropriate, are held on military bases.
Set out below are some of the key successes of the Board, which have been achieved as a result of
the work carried out by representatives on either the Board, or one of the two Task Groups.
General
 Surrey has received £112,691 Community Covenant Grant funding over the past 12 months.
This year has also seen the very successful launch of the Beech Grove Play area in Pirbright,
which received £195,000 grant funding in April 2013. Work is also progressing on the high
profile restoration of the Muslim Burial Ground Peace Garden which received £69,000 in
February 2014.
 A new @Surrey Military Twitter feed was launched in November 2014. In January 2015 the new
armed forces pages on the Surrey County Council website were relaunched, with a direct link to
the Twitter feed, the new Military Flickr account (shared photo library), useful information on
settling in Surrey and the armed forces calendar. The new pages have seen a large increase in
number of hits.
 SCMPB is represented on the Steering Group of National Armed Forces Day in Guildford.
 May 2014 saw the final Surrey authorities sign up to the Community Covenant. Following this, a
successful Community Covenant Conference was held at Pirbright in November 2014 looking at
next steps in taking the Community Covenant forward in Surrey.
 One of the outcomes from the conference was the development of a job profile for member
Armed Forces Champions. The MOD has shown interest in this and once finalised, would like
to share this as best practice nationally.
 11 Brigade launched the concept of Task Force Commanders at the Surrey Community
Covenant Conference in November 2014. These are Commanding Officers within Surrey, who
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will be responsible for building close links with three/four dedicated district/borough councils to
see how they can work more closely together.
A briefing is being prepared for MPs and their offices so that they recognise the particular
attributes of ex-military people if they ask MPs for help in individual cases.
The Board has a liaison role with DMRC Headley Court over the forthcoming relocation to the
Midlands and the implications for the local community.
SCMPB encouraged military families to input to the countywide Local Transport Review, which
was carried out by the County Council in late 2014/early 2015.
Education
 Following 11 Brigade taking over responsibility for Surrey, excellent relationships have been
built up between schools commissioning/admissions and 11 Infantry Brigade. This has resulted
in more effective school place planning in relation to service families coming into the area as
part of the Army’s Rebasing programme.
 At the request of schools, a termly newsletter for schools with Service children has been
produced. The aim of this is to share best practice and highlight current issues that schools may
be facing in relation to service children.
 Officers are encouraging OFSTED to help ensure that the Service Pupil Premium is being spent
appropriately within schools and reported on publically via the school websites.
 In March 2015, the University Technical College in Guildford was given the go ahead. Officers
are working with the Military and SERFCA to ensure appropriate links with the military are made
at an early stage.
 SCMPB co-ordinated a response to the DfE consultation on Early Years Pupil Premium to raise
the issue of military families. Linked to this, the issue of FEET (Free Early Education for two
year olds) has been raised with the Children’s Education Advisory Service at the MOD, who will
in turn be raising it with DfE to see whether funding can be given to appropriate service families.
 The SCMPB is working with the Army Families Federation to do some analysis work on the
attainment of Service children educated at state schools in Surrey.
Employment
 Following a successful meeting at the end of March 2015 between Surrey County Council HR
and the Career Transition Partnership (who hold the MOD contract for helping service leavers
find jobs), it has been agreed that all relevant vacancies are posted onto the CTP website. The
number of successful appointments will be monitored.
 Surrey County Council is developing volunteering days for HR staff to work with service leavers
on mentoring, interview skills, and CV preparation. This will be taken forward during 2015/16.
 Links have been created between Job Centre Plus and the Military to help ensure relevant
signposting for vacancies to service leavers.
 SCMPB have attended job fairs for the military at Sandhurst and Aldershot with the aim of
making appropriate links between relevant organisations.
 Opportunities have been explored for promoting adult learning amongst service spouses
through Surrey Care Trust Covenant Grant bid, which gave a number of taster courses with the
aim of increasing uptake and establishing need.
 Work has been carried out to identify skills shortages in Surrey (including engineers and
caterers), with the aim of matching these type of roles to the skills of service leavers.
 The promotion of Reservists is a key priority for 11 Brigade. Board members, through their
organisations, have been looking at promoting the benefits of employing reservists within Surrey
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organisations and businesses. Access has been given to promotional videos that can be shown
at relevant events including Business Breakfast briefings.
The employment of spouses of the Armed forces has been identified as a priority and following
the pilot advertising SCC jobs on the CTP web site further roles applicable to partners maybe
added.
Housing
 A Surrey Housing Officers Group representative is leading the housing stream of the Community
Integration Task Group work. This will help to ensure that all members of the armed forces
community have the same access to housing options, advice and support as any other citizen
across the county. Part of this work includes:
o Reviewing the approach to the local Connection Criteria across the districts/borough,
and ensuring that it is communicated to front line staff.
o Looking at developing standard data collection procedures/questions across the district
and boroughs when housing forms are reviewed.
o Representation from the Joint Service Housing Advice Office (military housing) at the
Surrey Housing Officers Group.
o Representation from the Surrey Housing Officers Group at the upcoming 11 Brigade
Housing Fairs.
Health, Wellbeing and Welfare
 Work is ongoing to identify key issues and needs for the armed forces community (including
access to NHS GPs and dentists as well as welfare issues) and providing relevant signposting
through websites (including www.surreycc.gov.uk).
 Closer links are being developed with the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and Defence
Medical Services (DMS) to help address local need.
 The Community Integration Task Group is reviewing the implications of the Care Act for
veterans and will make recommendation to SCMPB
Businesses
 High level meetings have been held with the two Local Enterprise Partnerships covering Surrey
(Enterprise M3 and Coast to Capital) with the aim of building closer links. 11 Infantry Brigade is
represented on Enterprise M3, and Coast to Capital is considering military representation.
 A Surrey Chambers of Commerce Corporate Social Responsibility event was held in Woking in
November 2014. The headline element of this event was a presentation on the Corporate
Covenant.
 Surrey County Council and 11 Brigade jointly staffed a well visited SCMPB stand at Collaborate
2014 held at Sandown on 19 November 2014. The stand received good interest from both local
authority staff and members as well as outside organisations including the LEPs. SCMPB
business cards were handed out and a number of follow up contacts have been made.
 On 4 February 2015 a breakfast briefing was held for a number of large local businesses in
Woking on the Corporate Covenant. Commitment was sought to agree to consider signing up to
the Corporate Covenant. This will be taken forward during 2015/16.
 SCMPB was represented at an employer engagement event promoting the employment of
reservists to key local businesses at RAF Odiham in March 2015.
 SCMPB was represented at a Business Leaders Conference held at RMA Sandhurst.
Recognise and Remember
 The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) funded the innovative Respect and Remember
Project, which is a partnership between the PCC. Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust, Surrey
County Council Youth Services and Surrey Police for offenders serving community sentences
and in other restorative programmes to help restore Surrey's war memorials.
 Surrey County Council was successful in winning a grant of £460,000 from the Heritage Lottery
Fund for a project to immortalise the experiences of Surrey residents on the front line and at
home during the First World War.
 The Army’s “I want to book a soldier” programme has been widely promoted to secondary
schools in Surrey.
 Members of the SCMPB supported a number of events around Surrey to mark the centenary of
the start of the First World War, Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.
 The SCMPB was represented at the Surrey Joint Services’ Charities Choral Mattins at Guildford
Cathedral in June 2014.
 By the end of 2015, Surrey Boroughs and Districts will have commemorated six First World War
veterans who were awarded the Victoria Cross.
Local Authorities
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SCMPB has developed close working relationship with officers from Kent County Council, West
Sussex County Council and Hampshire County Council with the aim of sharing best practice
amongst the county councils.
A meeting of lead service managers within Surrey County Council was held in January 2015.
The aim of this meeting was to explore how services could take forward the aims of the
Community Covenant and to build direct relationships between Surrey officers and 11 Infantry
Brigade.
The Career Transition Partnership have been invited to attend the July 2015 meeting of Surrey
Personnel Officers Group to see how they can work together to fill relevant vacancies.
Armed Forces Covenant Lead Officers have been identified within each of the local authorities in
Surrey and an email network has been set up to facilitate networking and sharing of relevant
information.
A Reservist working for Surrey County Council has nominated the authority for the Silver
Employer Recognition Scheme, which recognises an employer’s support to its Reservists. The
outcome will be known in the summer 2015.
The SCMPB Liaison Officer has briefed the Surrey Local Committee Chairmen, and number of
Local Committees as well as some district and borough committees on the aims of the
Community and Corporate Covenants.