SUPPORTING the troops is the drive behind a new county council plan.

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet has agreed several steps to support armed forces families living in the county.

This includes strengthening its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and supporting its staff who are involved in the forces.

The covenant was ‘re-energised’ last year, after the council first signed up to it in 2011.

It commits the council to making sure members of the armed forces and their families are ‘treated fairly and not disadvantaged in their day-to-day lives.’

A report to the cabinet said it was important to provide support to armed forces families as they are often unable to make strong community links if they must move suddenly.

ALSO READ: UK school closures - List of key workers whose children can attend

It added that forces families are often ‘have a strong sense of pride and often do not want to ask for help’.

The county council currently holds a silver award under the armed forces employer recognition scheme for having an ‘armed forces friendly’ approach to employment.

This includes allowing paid time off for reservists to be deployed and offering support to veterans.

The council will now apply for a gold award as a means of recognising its work to help forces families.

Approximately 21 per cent of the RAF’s personnel are stationed in Oxfordshire, because RAF Brize Norton is the country’s primary air force base.

As of March 2018, 6,536 residents in Oxfordshire claimed either the armed forces pension, war pension or armed forces compensation.