Support for armed forces personnel

Welcome to Norwich City Council

Our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant is a voluntary pledge of mutual support between civilian communities and the local armed forces community. It represents a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve or have served in the armed forces—and their families—are treated fairly.

As an equal opportunity employer, Norwich City Council proudly supports the Armed Forces Covenant. This commitment means:

  • We ensure that serving personnel, veterans, reservists, and their families are not disadvantaged when accessing our services or seeking employment.
  • Our support extends to reserve units, veterans, military families, and their dependants.

Accreditation

In 2022, Norwich City Council was reaccredited with the Silver Award from the Ministry of Defence. This award recognises our ongoing work to support the armed forces community and integrate the covenant into our employment practices.

armed forces accreditation

Training and Awareness

To make sure our employees understand the benefits of the Armed Forces Covenant, we offer online training courses. These courses help frontline staff and service managers apply covenant principles in areas such as:

  • Housing support
  • Homelessness services
  • Other essential council services

Together, we honour the service and sacrifice of our armed forces community.

Housing support

Norwich City Council is committed to helping service personnel and their families find suitable housing after leaving the armed forces.
Under the Armed Forces Covenant, we waive the usual local connection criteria for:

  • Current or former regular service members
  • Bereaved spouses or civil partners who must leave Ministry of Defence housing after their partner’s death (if the death was linked to service)
  • Current or former reserve forces members suffering from a serious injury, illness, or disability caused by their service
  • Divorced or separated spouses or civil partners of service personnel who leave Ministry of Defence housing

These measures ensure that former service personnel are not disadvantaged when seeking housing because of their service.

Joining the housing register

The Norwich Home Options Allocations Scheme explains how we allocate social housing, including:

  • Rules and priorities
  • Procedures for letting homes on the council’s housing register

Help with homelessness

If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, visit our homelessness page for guidance.

How we can support you

We have a clear process to help eligible applicants.
The bullet points show the steps we take when you contact us for housing support.

Prevention duty (0-56+ days)

  • First contact
    You tell the council about your housing situation.
    The council assess your housing situation.
  • Personal Housing Plan (PHP)
    The council create this together with you to try and prevent your homelessness.
  • Prevention activity
    You and the council carry out the steps in your PHP to try and prevent your homelessness.

Relief duty (56 days)

  • Relief activity
    You and the council carry out the steps in your PHP to try and relieve your homelessness.

Main housing duty (1-15 days)

  • Main housing duty
    The council decide whether they have a duty to ensure suitable accommodation is available for you and your household.

Join Norwich City Council

Norwich City Council is proud to support the Armed Forces Covenant. As part of this commitment:

  • Guaranteed Interview Scheme: If you are a veteran or ex-member of the armed forces and meet the essential criteria for a role, you will be invited to interview—regardless of your employment history.

Why work with us?

We offer a competitive pay and benefits package, and we are proud to be:

  • A Disability Confident Employer
  • Accredited by the Real Living Wage Foundation

Whether you’re looking for a new career, a promotion, flexible working to fit your home life, or a sideways move, we have opportunities for everyone.

Employee benefits

  • Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) membership for all employees.
  • Generous annual leave:
    • Starts at 26 days per year, increasing to 33 days with service (pro rata for part-time staff).
    • Plus public holidays and an extra day at Christmas.
  • Occupational health and employee assistance support for wellbeing.

Special leave for armed forces

We go further to support our armed forces community through special leave options, including:

  • Two weeks paid leave for volunteer members of the Non-Regular Forces to attend summer camp.
  • Additional paid leave for Territorial Army training that cannot be scheduled outside normal working hours.
  • Paid time off is provided at the same rate as annual leave.

Flexible working

We understand the importance of work-life balance. With hybrid working and home-working options, we offer flexibility where business needs allow.
A simple adjustment to working hours or arrangements—even on a trial basis—can make a big difference to health and family life.

Wellbeing Programme

We recognise the psychological and emotional impact of military service and prioritise the wellbeing of all employees.
Through our health provider Vita, we offer:

  • A 24/7 confidential helpline for counselling and mental health support.
  • A wide range of health and wellbeing tools for all staff.
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