£1.5 billion extra for military housing

The government has announced more than £1.5 billion extra support for accommodation for UK Armed Forces, which will be part of the upcoming Strategic Defence Review (SDR), and bring military accommodation funding up to £7 billion this Parliament. This will also unlock more work opportunities to fix and upgrade forces housing.

The work to be carried out includes urgent repairs and maintenance, tackling damp and mould, as well as building new houses.

The programme will be guided by the forthcoming Defence Housing Strategy, which builds on the new Defence Consumer Charter to transform living conditions for military families following a deal to bring 36,347 back into public ownership. The new Consumer Charter will ensure the urgent renovation of 1,000 homes in most need of repair, and will usher in basic consumer rights for forces families, such as more reliable repairs and higher move-in standards.

Defence secretary, John Healey MP said: “Our Armed Forces personnel make extraordinary sacrifices to serve our country.

“For too long, many military families have lived in sub-standard homes, but this government is taking decisive action to fix the dire state of military accommodation and ensure that our heroes and their loved ones live in the homes they deserve.

“We are investing and acting fast, to fix forces housing and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve and deliver on our Plan for Change.”