Introduction

As part of the Armed Forces Covenant and Act, councils should think about whether they need to make exceptions to their procedures and policies, to ensure that serving and former military personnel are treated fairly and respectfully in their local communities. 

Ralph’s story: Support for a military charity 

(Case ref: 19 013 780)

Ralph is an ex-serviceman. He is registered blind and regularly holds meetings at his home for other disabled veterans.

Ralph applied for a disabled parking bay. He explained he did not have a car registered at his address but he is part of a blind veterans’ charity and has a minibus pick him up on a regular basis which sometimes stays when he holds the meeting at his house. He said he has a driveway, but it is not large enough for the minibus.

The council rejected Ralph’s application. It explained the main reason was because the vehicle was not registered at the property, which was an essential factor under the council’s policy. 

What we found 

We found the council had acted in accordance with its published policy on disabled parking bays when it refused the application. However, we found the council had been made aware of Ralph’s status as a former serviceman, and had failed to consider its commitment under the Armed Forces Covenant. This says that in some cases, special treatment for service personnel might be necessary to achieve fair treatment. 

Putting it right 

The council agreed to reconsider the disabled parking bay application, taking account of Ralph’s veteran status, and the Armed Forces Covenant, to consider if it should make an exception to its normal policies. 

The council also agreed to ensure that its staff were aware of the Armed Forces Covenant, and how it should be considered when they make decisions.