Cambridgeshire County Council has been reaccredited with the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award, the highest honour available to organisations that demonstrate outstanding, long‑term support for the Armed Forces community.
The Gold Award recognises the Council’s sustained commitment to the Armed Forces and its strong track record of supporting the Armed Forces Community, including reservists, veterans, cadet adult volunteers and service families.
To mark the achievement, the Council hosted a formal reaccreditation ceremony on Wednesday 1 July at New Shire Hall, which brought together His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, the Chair of the County Council, County Councillors, including the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, the Chief Executive and senior council officers, along with representatives from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces community. The East Anglia RFCA was represented by Sarah Thompson, Defence Relationship Manager, and Paul Gilham, Head of Engagement.
The Council’s support for the Armed Forces is embedded across the organisation. This includes flexible working arrangements to support reservist training and deployment including a mobilisation framework, additional paid leave for reservists’ annual training commitments, family‑friendly policies including enhanced maternity and paternity support, a volunteer leave policy that enables Cadet Force Adult Volunteer activity and an internal Armed Forces Colleagues Network.
The reaccreditation also highlights the Council’s strong partnership with the Ministry of Defence and local Armed Forces Covenant networks, reinforcing its commitment to fairness and opportunity, supporting good jobs for the future, improving financial security, and helping people stay well connected across Cambridgeshire.
The ceremony celebrated the people, partners and networks that all contribute to this important work and to ensuring that the County Council remains a supportive and welcoming employer for members of the Armed Forces community.
The Gold Award is the highest accolade in the Employer Recognition Scheme, recognising employers who go above and beyond to advocate for Defence across their sectors and supply chains.
If your organisation would like to start its own “Partnering with Defence” journey — working towards the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards — we would love to hear from you. Get in touch with our Employer Engagement team today, or visit the dedicated Employer Engagement page on our website to find out more.
