DIRECTOR
THE FEDERATION OVERVIEW BY DIRECTOR, BILL MAHON
I
t’s late January as I write this and there’s not much spring in the air. It’s minus lots outside, New York has just reopened aſter closing for a mega-blizzard that in the end failed to turn up (I know it’s not funny
but….), we’ve been rocked by an earthquake at Cottesmore (It was quite a bang - I thought for a moment that the Army had blown themselves up) and my motorbike remains firmly under wraps, although at least planning this summer’s trip to the Pyrenees has begun. I hope that by the time you read this, things have warmed up, New York has recovered its cool poise and that the bike is back doing what it does best – putting a smile on my face.
I was a bit worried that, like New York’s closed streets, things would be a bit quiet in January but it’s been quite the opposite and we have had a busy start to the year. We have already paid visits to Manston, Wittering, Halton, Shawbury and Cosford to talk to a mixture of Community Support and HIVE staff, as well as serving personnel and families. We were delighted to be able to attend our first Fresher’s evening at Cranwell to meet the latest IOT Course as well as attending the Graduation ceremonies at RAF Halton and RAF Honington. We have hosted two visits from DIO to talk about progress with the new contract with CarillionAmey, as well as meeting CarillionAmey at their HQ in Liverpool. We met with the MoD AF Covenant Team to discuss the future of the Community Covenant and the role of our 4 Regional Covenant Co-Ordinators, visited Reserve personnel at Waddington and Wittering to talk to them about life as a Reservist, attended numerous meetings in the MoD on issues ranging from future accommodation plans to the issues faced by geographically dispersed families, and briefed both the Future Commanders Study Period and the RAF Community Support Course on the issues we hear about that are concerning you.
I also had a really useful one-to-one meeting with Anna Soubry MP, Minister of State for Defence Personnel, Welfare & Veterans, where
I was able to discuss some RAF-specific issues around the application of the AF Covenant – IVF treatment, orthodontic support for families, Pension Sharing Orders and the need for better Covenant communications with those delivering services to you were all mentioned. I also joined my Navy and Army opposite numbers at a meeting with the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Harriet Harman MP, Vernon Coaker MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence and Gemma Doyle MP, a member of Labour’s shadow defence team. We spoke about the issues facing spouses, partners and families of our serving personnel – notably, employment, childcare, children’s education, living inside and outside the wire and, again, the value of the AF Covenant. It was especially encouraging to hear that, if Labour win the election, they expect to continue to support the Covenant and help sustain it for the longer term.
It’s a really enjoyable role that the team has and, as you can see, we are all very busy gathering evidence, advising on policies, answering your queries and doing our very best to ensure that your voice is heard by the people that matter. Our Covenant Co-Ordinators continue to liaise with Local Authorities, NHS England, DWP and the like, to help formulate policy, improve communications and encourage them to work better together to deliver the promises they have made on removing disadvantage caused by Service.
My only worry in all of this?… If it carries on at this pace, I’ll be too busy to ride the bike beyond the end of the road, let alone to the Pyrenees and back.
Enjoy the magazine. T
Why YOU should contact the Federation Key things to remember:
he RAF Families Federation is funded by the RAF but sits outside the Chain of Command as an independent organisation. We represent all RAF personnel, be they Regular, Reserve, single, married
or in a partnership, together with their families. We provide a voice for the issues and concerns you have about life in the RAF, and we have direct access to senior RAF and MoD staffs as well as Government Ministers.
To do all this, we need to hear from you on issues such as quality of life, accommodation, health, education, pay and allowances. Everyone's views and concerns are important to us.
www.raf-ff.org.uk
• We work with the RAF/MoD and not against them • We don’t undermine the chain of command; we work with them but we will dig them in the ribs on your behalf when necessary
• We will signpost you to the ‘best’ experts to help you if required • We always maintain your anonymity and respect your privacy • We always maintain a fair and balanced approach
Help us to continue to share the message • Contact us:
raf-ff.org.uk • Telephone 01780 781650 or email
enquiries@raf-ff.org.uk
Envoy Spring 2015 5
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