People who have previously served in the regular or reserve UK armed forces are often known as ‘veterans’. They form part of the armed forces community along with those who currently serve in the armed forces or Merchant Navy and their families. Service life affects serving personnel, veterans, and their families in different ways, whether it is through frequent house moves, separation from loved ones and support networks or, an unfamiliarity with civilian life which can make accessing public goods and services difficult.
The Armed Forces Covenant Duty
The Armed Forces Covenant Duty came into force on 22 November 2022. The Covenant placed a legal duty on organisations that are responsible for delivering statutory functions in healthcare, education, and housing services to have ‘due regard’ to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. Key functions covered by the Duty include; the allocation of social housing; healthcare waiting list policies and schools’ admissions. In practice, the Duty requires decisions about the development and delivery of these services to consider the needs of the Armed Forces community.
The Armed Forces Covenant Duty aims to raise awareness of the impact that service life can have on the Armed Forces community, and how disadvantage can arise when members of this community seek to access local services. It is anticipated that this will lead to more informed policymaking as organisations will better understand the uniqueness of service life and have an increased awareness into the potential barriers facing the community.
The Armed Forces Community
The 2021 Census in England and Wales was the first to ask people aged 16 years and over if they had previously served in the regular or reserve UK armed forces or both.
The 2021 Census showed that there were 1,853,112 people who had previously served in the UK armed forces in England and Wales in 2021, 3.8 per cent of the population aged 16 years and over. This is almost one in 25 people aged 16 years and over in England and Wales. Over three-quarters of UK armed forces veterans residing in England and Wales had previously served in the regular armed forces only (1.4 million, 76.3 per cent), while 361,000 (19.5 per cent) had served only in the reserve armed forces. The remaining 79,000 (4.3 per cent) had served in both the regular and the reserve armed forces.
Plymouth Armed Forces Community - Summary
- In Plymouth, 18,250 (8.4%) people, previously served in the Armed Forces. This is more than double the number compared to the England average (3.8%)
- Across all English unitary authorities, the local authorities with the highest proportion of veterans were Plymouth (8.4%), Wiltshire (7.5%) and Dorset (7.1%).
- In Plymouth, whilst the biggest % of people previously served (27%) is the 85 and over age group (1,750), it’s not the largest actual number (against population)
- The age group with the largest actual numbers is the 65 to 74 age group (3,404). This is followed by the 75 to 84 age group (2,891).
- In Plymouth, the number of working age people (16 – 64) who have previously served is 10,235. 6% of Plymouth’s Working age population has previously served. This is significantly more than the England average 2.3% and South West average (3.5%)
- Plymstock Radford Ward has the most people (1,277) and represents 7% of the cohort, closely followed by Eggbuckland (1,138) 6.2% and Plymstock Dunstone 1,124 6.1%
- The biggest concentration, by age (65-74) is in Moorview
Plymouth Armed Forces Community in more detail
Previously Served - Total
- In Plymouth, 18,250 (8.4%) people, previously served in the Armed Forces
- This is more than double the number compared to the England average
- Of these, Plymouth has 2,142 (1%) people who have/are serving in the Reserves, this is more than both the England and South West average
| Region | Total Previously Served | Previously served in the UK regular armed forces | Previously served in UK reserve armed forces | Previously served in both regular and reserve UK armed forces | Has not previously served in any UK armed forces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 8.4% | 7.1% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 91.6% |
| England | 3.8% | 2.9% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 96.2% |
| South West | 5.6% | 4.5% | 0.9% | 0.2% | 94.4% |
Plymouth Previously Served - by age group
- In Plymouth, whilst the biggest % of people previously served is the 85 and over age group, the age group with the largest numbers is the 65 to 74 age group (3,404). This is followed by the 75 to 84 age group (2,891).
- In Plymouth, the number of working age people(16 – 64) who have previously served is 10,235, which equates to 56% of the total who have served
| Age | Total Previously Served | Previously served in the UK regular armed forces | Previously served in UK reserve armed forces | Previously served in both regular and reserve UK armed forces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 16 to 19 years | 0.30% | 0.10% | 0.10% | 0.00% |
| Aged 20 to 24 years | 1.00% | 0.50% | 0.40% | 0.00% |
| Aged 25 to 29 years | 2.30% | 1.70% | 0.50% | 0.00% |
| Aged 30 to 34 years | 3.80% | 3.40% | 0.40% | 0.00% |
| Aged 35 to 39 years | 5.50% | 4.80% | 0.60% | 0.10% |
| Aged 40 to 44 years | 5.70% | 4.80% | 0.70% | 0.20% |
| Aged 45 to 49 years | 7.80% | 6.50% | 1.10% | 0.10% |
| Aged 50 to 54 years | 9.00% | 7.50% | 1.20% | 0.30% |
| Aged 55 to 59 years | 11.30% | 9.30% | 1.50% | 0.40% |
| Aged 60 to 64 years | 14.90% | 12.60% | 1.70% | 0.60% |
| Aged 65 to 74 years | 13.10% | 11.20% | 1.30% | 0.60% |
| Aged 75 to 84 years | 17.60% | 15.20% | 1.70% | 0.60% |
| Aged 85 years and over | 27.00% | 23.70% | 2.00% | 1.20% |
Working Age (16-64)
- 6% of Plymouth’s Working age population has previously served. This is significantly more than the England average 2.3% and South West average (3.5%)
| Region | Working age | Previously Served | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth | 169,654 | 10,235 | 6.00% |
| England | 35,605,659 | 813,231 | 2.30% |
| South West | 3,462,210 | 121,486 | 3.50% |
Ward
- Every Ward is represented by someone who has previously served
- Plymstock Radford has the most people (1,277) and represents 7% of the cohort, closely followed by Eggbuckland (1,138) 6.2% and Plymstock Dunstone 1,124 6.1%
- Drake ward has the least people with (307) 1.7%
- The biggest concentration, by age (65-74) is in Moorview
| Ward | Total | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Budshead | 976 | 5.30% |
| Compton | 889 | 4.90% |
| Devonport | 1,034 | 5.70% |
| Drake | 307 | 1.70% |
| Efford and Lipson | 781 | 4.30% |
| Eggbuckland | 1,138 | 6.20% |
| Ham | 939 | 5.10% |
| Honicknowle | 978 | 5.30% |
| Moor View | 1,025 | 5.60% |
| Peverell | 845 | 4.60% |
| Plympton Chaddlewood | 611 | 3.30% |
| Plympton Erle | 715 | 3.90% |
| Plympton St Mary | 1,070 | 5.80% |
| Plymstock Dunstone | 1,124 | 6.10% |
| Plymstock Radford | 1,277 | 7.00% |
| Southway | 981 | 5.40% |
| St Budeaux | 1,006 | 5.50% |
| St Peter and the Waterfront | 933 | 5.10% |
| Stoke (Plymouth) | 956 | 5.20% |
| Sutton and Mount Gould | 713 | 3.90% |
| 18,298 | 100.00% |
Ward by Age Group
| Ward | Aged 16 to 19 years | Aged 20 to 24 years | Aged 25 to 29 years | Aged 30 to 34 years | Aged 35 to 39 years | Aged 40 to 44 years | Aged 45 to 49 years | Aged 50 to 54 years | Aged 55 to 59 years | Aged 60 to 64 years | Aged 65 to 74 years | Aged 75 to 84 years | Aged 85 years and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budshead | 0 | 9 | 21 | 35 | 61 | 50 | 59 | 93 | 107 | 137 | 180 | 147 | 77 |
| Compton | 1 | 5 | 21 | 33 | 42 | 34 | 55 | 88 | 93 | 109 | 145 | 151 | 112 |
| Devonport | 4 | 16 | 31 | 56 | 83 | 60 | 74 | 105 | 126 | 137 | 177 | 116 | 49 |
| Drake | 3 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 19 | 38 | 16 | 19 | 25 | 32 | 42 | 39 | 22 |
| Efford and Lipson | 1 | 15 | 22 | 36 | 47 | 29 | 55 | 68 | 70 | 97 | 157 | 124 | 60 |
| Eggbuckland | 1 | 9 | 30 | 30 | 52 | 50 | 71 | 88 | 106 | 139 | 223 | 224 | 115 |
| Ham | 1 | 9 | 25 | 38 | 60 | 70 | 69 | 61 | 82 | 121 | 186 | 128 | 89 |
| Honicknowle | 4 | 3 | 24 | 32 | 50 | 56 | 50 | 68 | 111 | 99 | 205 | 180 | 96 |
| Moor View | 2 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 45 | 38 | 56 | 58 | 99 | 114 | 238 | 212 | 95 |
| Peverell | 0 | 8 | 15 | 21 | 27 | 52 | 65 | 98 | 105 | 105 | 136 | 130 | 83 |
| Plympton Chaddlewood | 1 | 7 | 13 | 26 | 38 | 30 | 51 | 58 | 88 | 87 | 102 | 85 | 25 |
| Plympton Erle | 0 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 38 | 27 | 46 | 61 | 83 | 76 | 148 | 116 | 84 |
| Plympton St Mary | 4 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 49 | 38 | 88 | 105 | 103 | 89 | 206 | 211 | 136 |
| Plymstock Dunstone | 1 | 6 | 16 | 29 | 47 | 36 | 72 | 83 | 123 | 142 | 191 | 216 | 162 |
| Plymstock Radford | 1 | 7 | 22 | 58 | 57 | 58 | 95 | 129 | 128 | 140 | 212 | 185 | 185 |
| Southway | 3 | 7 | 18 | 45 | 48 | 46 | 66 | 78 | 107 | 134 | 177 | 156 | 96 |
| St Budeaux | 2 | 7 | 16 | 52 | 56 | 56 | 51 | 90 | 123 | 161 | 199 | 127 | 66 |
| St Peter and the Waterfront | 2 | 32 | 33 | 43 | 37 | 27 | 43 | 74 | 92 | 123 | 195 | 146 | 86 |
| Stoke (Plymouth) | 2 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 51 | 48 | 72 | 81 | 120 | 147 | 172 | 121 | 70 |
| Sutton and Mount Gould | 1 | 18 | 22 | 41 | 45 | 43 | 71 | 86 | 71 | 89 | 111 | 72 | 43 |
| 34 | 213 | 410 | 708 | 952 | 886 | 1,225 | 1,591 | 1,962 | 2,278 | 3,402 | 2,886 | 1,751 |