MPs condemn 'appalling' service accommodation

[snapper41]

From the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6993931.stm
For 'army', read 'armed forces', one assumes...

[Flyingskygod]

This has been in the news for quite a while now and nothing seems to be getting done about it at all. I recall a new interview with a wife and they went round the MQ and it was appaling, mould, damp, things hanging off left right and centre.

They say that MOD Solutions are the sub contractors but their worse than useless and often take days/weeks to come round and fix the job.

Again, I think it's a case of the Government really not caring about military personnel. There we are fighting 2 wars and they can't do a simple thing like keep the accomodation in a good order, it's the last thing our guys and girls need to be coming home too.

Obviously there are other things we need help with, replacing equipment, better compansation for those injured, but that's another story and another thread I believe.

[Chugalug2]

This report coincides with the launch of the Royal British Legion Broken Covenant Campaign and is surely an ancillary to it. Though indeed the subject of a separate thread. there is a common denominator here and that is this present government. It pumps billions of our money into its core support base, ie the state schools and health service, to less and less effect, and pays for it by denying it to those sectors it has little or no electoral rapport with, ie the military and the south east counties. This makes gerrymandering look amateurish, but has the same effect, it keeps it in power.

[airborne_artist]

Chugalug - gerrymandering it is - the Govt can safely run down/underfund Services support such as housing, safe in the knowledge that the numbers affected are reducing all the time as the numbers in uniform is also run down. In the 70s there were over 320,000 in regular service.

[South Bound]

I suppose what annoys me about this most of all is the hidden financial cost. I live at a Unit where there is considerable demand for SFA and local house prices are outside the reach of all but a few. There are houses empty, happily rotting while we put people out on SSFA at a cost of about £1500 per month (comfortably). Work this out over a 3 year tour and you are looking at about £54k paid in rent when it would only have cost about £10-20k to take the house, de-skank it and upgrade kitchen/bathroom etc.

As a taxpayer, this kind of 'different budget' nonsence makes my blood boil and DE/MHS must be held to account.

[FarWest]

New Press Theme?

Any Journos out there looking for a story could do worse than delve into South Bound's 'Different Budget' suggestion. Paying Annington homes rent on empty SFA whilst simultaneously paying rent for SSFA is financial incompetence of the highest order.

[ZH875]

Just think how bad the houses would be if the government hadn't spent all the money they got from Annington when they sold them the quarters....


...In exactly the same state.


I wonder where that money went?

[Safeware]

Can't remember his name but some Labour politician was on the radio this morning commenting on the state of SFA and saying that yes, something needed to be done because the houses were build many years ago and neglect in the 70s and 80s needed to be put right. I thought it funny that he failed to mention the neglect over the last 10 years.

sw

[Biggus]

Far be it from me to defend this government, I am certainly not a fan. However, in 1990 I was at a presentation at Marham, given by the Stn Cdr, where he was saying his biggest problem/concern was the state of some of his single junior ranks accommodation. He had some slides illustrating his point, they were like ghetto slums!! So the problem is not a new one, and not entirely the fault of this government. Perhaps it is the fault of the military hierachy, past and present....

Apparently the MOD has 165,000 bed spaces, and SLAM has improved 9,000 over the past what, 4 or 5 years. At that rate......!!

Surely there should be a continuous rolling programme to revamp/replace say 5% of accommodation per year, properly funded, etc.... It shouldn't be rocket science!!

[changeitnot]

Accomodation has never been a high priority. Who remembers the 16 man rooms at Halton? We were told then that it was 'character building' things would get better. On to ISK and a married quarter that had a storage heating system that was so useless that we had to buy portable gas heaters to keep the ice from forming on the inside of the windows. (it was worse in winter!)
A posting to Cornwall and a house that was so damp the mold inside grew faster than the grass outside. Living in the condemmed sgts mess annex at St Mawgan. 23 years of being told things would improve. Retired now for 9 years. It looks like things are still waiting to improve. The expectation that the serviceman will put up with anything seems to still prevail.

[themightyimp]

I can't wait to see the propaganda on the MOD website we are forced to open as our homepage on DII. What a load of tosh that is btw.

[WIWOWessex]

The fact that the government sold out to Annington and now pays £36m a year in rent whilst Annington sells of the surplus quarters says something!!! RIP OFF. The only people winning here is the city financiers. The reason why our MFQ are in such a squalid state is driving around in the latest Aston Martin after picking up a massive bonus.

[Al R]

I was a bit twitchy on the old trigger finger, this may have been the better place for this, and not the Typhoon thread. I never fail to be appalled by how badly we treat those who are so unfailing in their service to us, and how we allow it to happen. Honestly, I'd turf the whole lot of the spineless, two faced, subservient, self serving wan#ers out and start all again. The EU can take its policy on immigration (delete 'immigration' insert 'just about anything' and stick it up its arse. When are we going to have a g'ment which places greater emphasis on our soldiers than it does illegal immigrants? And when are we going to have a set of leaders that stands up for 'us'? This makes me so angry.

Al R said, rather crossly, on the Typhoon thread:

I wonder what the current RAF board of directors will say about it. Just as the BBC has been given a board of governers and over see'ers to see that it is run properly, perhaps the MoD needs the same. Perhaps the Defence of the Realm is a little too important to be entrusted to a few pilots. Perhaps we are too reliant on poodles and potential authors. I wonder if institutionaly induced weariness plays a part in this never ending demonstration of obsequiosness?

I listened to the Ambassador to Moscow last night, on 4. He told us how the current Russian intrusions into British Aerospace were nothing to worry about and that they were really a great bunch of lads. Great, we have paper clip sufflers now, getting in on the act. Perhaps we should just close the MoD down then? The Amabassador to Moscow says its alright so by all accounts, we won't need the jets to see them off anyway.

It won't end with Typhoon either, lets not fool ourselves on this. The g'ment won't be happy until its all gone, or has all been rationalised to a few idiots sharpening paper clips, by which time of course, those responsible will be dribbling from their mouths as they sip soup. Chaps. If the web can save the lads in Headley, if the Legion is raising merry hell about the Covenant, then maybe its up to us to save the Typhoon, and who knows.. call those w#nkers who are currently allowing this country to be left undefended and overstretched, and the serving and injured troops to be treated so badly, to account.

I wonder if Torpy and the rest of the brass live in these conditions? The sound of their silence is deafening. If they're good behind a stick, fine.. get back to flying.. but if you're no good behind a desk sirs.. move over.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6993931.stm

[Al R]

Gulp. Looks like we're continuing to cut back on the nags too.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/...olo#g152625.q0

[airborne_artist]

The Royal Air Force has not spent any funds on purchasing or, maintaining horses and ponies for polo

Shocking really - what do the chaps do these days on a Weds pm or a Saturday if they can't have a chukka or two?