Council affirms support to military through signing

The document, which is a voluntary statement of support between a civilian community and local service personnel recognised the commitment of servicemen and women and their families.

It was signed by chairman Andy Cooper, leader Gill Brown, chief executive Nigel Lynn, armed forces’ champion councillor Terry Chapman at a meeting of full council last Wednesday.

They were joined by Lieutenant Colonel Giles Malec, Commanding Officer of 12th Regiment Royal Artillery, who also signed the covenant.

Full council unanimously resolved to sign the covenant, backing deputy leader Dudley Wensley in urging defence chiefs to defend members of the armed forces from ‘outrageous activities of publicly-financed ambulance-chasing lawyers’, in response to national headlines surrounding attempted prosecutions of soldiers for potential offences committed at war.