· New Brigade Commander and Deputy Commander 11 Infantry Brigade
· Armed Forces Covenant Legislation SE Focus Group
· Army moves
· Task Force Commanders update
Minutes:
New Brigade Commander and Deputy Commander 11 Infantry Brigade
Col John Baynham was welcomed to the Board for his first meeting.
Richard Moore, on behalf of Col John, took over as he was having issues with his microphone. Col John joined 11 Brigade in May 2020 and is very much looking forward to working with the Board.
Brigadier Ben Cattermole is the new Commander of 11 Brigade HQ SE and keen to meet key people as soon as circumstances permit. Since the last update to the Board, 11 Brigade have delivered multiple outputs across various locations and have had to adapt and prioritise activities due to response to Covid-19.
Army update
- 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards are actively supporting operations in Iraq.
- Welsh Guards have returned to London District.
- 1St Battalion Irish Guards now back from Iraq and South Sudan and are supporting Covid-19 operations extensively across the south east.
- 1st Battalion Royal Irish, based in Shropshire have supported NHS and other agencies across West Midlands
- 2nd Battalion Royal Gurkha Rifles remain in Brunei – will be returning to Shorncliffe Barracks, Folkstone next summer.
- 2nd Battalion Royal Irish (Reserve Unit), based in N Ireland have provided a range of support to the community through Covid and have just deployed on Operation TOSCA the United Nations mission in Cyprus supported by members of 3PWRR.
- Support for Covid response - 3PWRR mobilised over 100 army reservists, working alongside 4PWRR and 7 Rifles in providing Covid-19 support across south east. This included 105,000 tests conducted which has now been handed over to civilian contractors. In addition military planners have been integrated into Local Resilience Forums across the south east.
Issues in Surrey
- 2 Lancashire Regiment have a total of 18 families moving in to accommodation at Pirbright at the end of October. The Unit Welfare Officer is leading on liaison with SCC and the local authorities.
- Deepcut Camp now nearly closed. Some ongoing issues around the future of the community centre and Service Family Accommodation (including civilian rentals) which is being looked at by Regional Command. Cllr Tom Gracey is happy to speak directly to SFA tenants alongside 11 Brigade.
- St Barbara’s Church due to be handed over to Diocese of Guildford, but not proving straightforward at present.
- Ash Ranges –remains open for public access when not in use.
Update from Lt Col Sandford, ATC Pirbright.
· ATC Pirbright is the largest basic training base for the army in the UK which sits under a different command structure from 11 Brigade for operational / training side, but for community matters is very much within the 11 Brigade area. ATC Pirbright briefly paused training following lockdown, but returned mid-May. Initially 50%, but now full intake and on track to meet target numbers of recruits trained.
· Some issues arose around key worker status of army personnel, but good co-operation with headteachers allowed relevant service children to go to school when parents returned to work.
· Strict measures are in place on base including no pass-out parades and recruits required to stay on base for the duration of their course. The length of the course has been reduced by two weeks, but will revert to 14 weeks from April 2021 when the proposed voter registration pilot will be able to begin.
· Working with local community at their bid for an all-sports pavilion.
· Looking to the future, plans are being implemented to enable ATC Pirbright to become the British Army Soldier Academy. In order to achieve the full potential, ATC will need to work with local authorities and explore areas like joint facilities. Action: A full brief will be given at a future meeting.
Col Simon Browne explained that he is retiring from the Army and updated the board on his future plans. The Chairman thanked Col Simon Browne on behalf of the board for everything he has done and wished him well with his future endeavours.
Armed Forces Covenant is being enacted in legislation in 2021 through a new Armed Forces Bill to ensure consistency of delivery across the UK. Focus of legislation is around public authorities showing that they have shown due regard for the Armed Forces community in the areas of housing, education and healthcare.
11 Brigade have been leading a south east focus group around this work and are feeding back issues and recommendations in each of the areas to the MoD Covenant Team.