Interesting snippet on the state of the MOD housing stock
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Interesting snippet on the state of the MOD housing stock
Wallace slammed after figures reveal 4,360 military personnel given sub-standard homes
The revelation comes just days after it was revealed that hundreds of illegal migrants are to be housed in military homes as hotels across the country fill up.Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has already secured £1.6 billion to make improvements for military housing over the next decade but the figures uncovered by Labour reveal that much of it is at the lower quality end.In total 40 percent of military personnel homes are at the lowest grade 4 acceptable level while five percent is actually "below grade 4" minimum standard covering 4,360 personnel.
Just one in five military homes (21 percent) are at the top grade 1 level for accommodation.
The figures were obtained by Labour's shadow Defence Secretary John Healey, who said Ministers were "failing in their duty to personnel, who are forced to live in discomfort as properties fall into disrepair."
The Ministry of Defence awards grades to its Single Living Accommodation based on "deficiency points" allocated across 14 categories.
Points are apportioned for the condition of bedroom decoration, fixtures and fittings, adequacy of heating systems and the proximity of toilet and washing facilities, among other factors.
There is currently no minimum quality standard set for Single Living Accommodation and no minimum acceptable conditions that service personnel should expect.
A 2021 National Audit Office report on Single Living Accommodation exposed "decades of underinvestment" and "problems with heating and hot water."
The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude survey reveals that 41 percent of tri-service personnel live in Single Living Accommodation during the working week. In the year to date 2022, 96,160 personnel live in Single Living Accommodation.
The same survey shows 40 percent of tri-service personnel were dissatisfied with the overall standard of their accommodation. A majority of 52 percent said they were dissatisfied with the responses to maintenance request and repairs.
Mr Healey said: "The Conservatives are failing in their duty to our service personnel, who are forced to live in discomfort as properties fall into disrepair.
"The standard of accommodation has been consistently low and getting worse under this government yet nothing's changed.
"These conditions wouldn't be unacceptable in civilian life, and they certainly aren't acceptable for actively serving personnel.
"The government must deliver homes fit for those serving our country."
An MoD spokesman said: "While 95 percent of this type of accommodation is between Grades 1 and 4, the provision of good quality, secure accommodation for Service Personnel is a key priority.
"That's why we are introducing minimum standards and spending more than £1.6 billion over the next decade to make improvements and build new living quarters."
Wallace slammed after figures reveal 4,360 military personnel given sub-standard homes (msn.com)
Originally Posted by [email protected]
They keep saying SLA but referring to houses - I know some MQs were given to singlies to share but surely not that many.
Seems nothing changes. Our quarter in the 1970's was a concrete prefab with crittal windows that were mostly broken or bent so they wouldn't close, heating was a single coal fire in the living room, plus a small coal boiler in the kitchen for hot water. There was no insulation anywhere, not even in the loft. Coldest house I've ever lived in. The works and bricks maintenance people just kept bodging repair after repair. Half the windows were permanently close by the simple expedient of drilling holes and fitting self-tappers to hold the opening part to the fixed part, as the hinges had rusted out.
Having got banned from this section of PPRuNe a couple of years ago for , complaining, as a civilian how badly it seemed to me we treated our military i will risk it again.
I am not fan of having military forces on a scale we no longer need or cannot afford . I am not saying that is the case now but this Britains place in the world to me is pretty pathetic. HOWEVER, having lived in a big military area (Camberley/Sandhurst Aldershot/ Minley I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who serve and or who had served. I think it brings nothing but shame on Governments left and right , but mostly right because they present themselves as 'the soldier's friend ' allow situations like this to develop . To me it seems the very foundation of the 'contract' between a Government and its Armed Forces should be that they have, not just as a minimum, but a proper decent standard of housing. Military families also often have to move around at short notice and to locations not of their choosing and a should have the right to decent accomodation to bring up their families and that they can feel assured that when they are away for whatever reason their families have a safe comfortable home.
The fact that things have seemingly got this far is another illustration of the same kind of political hypochrasy of Johnson clapping the NHS but not paying them or funding it and you guys serving your/our country deserve better.
I am not fan of having military forces on a scale we no longer need or cannot afford . I am not saying that is the case now but this Britains place in the world to me is pretty pathetic. HOWEVER, having lived in a big military area (Camberley/Sandhurst Aldershot/ Minley I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who serve and or who had served. I think it brings nothing but shame on Governments left and right , but mostly right because they present themselves as 'the soldier's friend ' allow situations like this to develop . To me it seems the very foundation of the 'contract' between a Government and its Armed Forces should be that they have, not just as a minimum, but a proper decent standard of housing. Military families also often have to move around at short notice and to locations not of their choosing and a should have the right to decent accomodation to bring up their families and that they can feel assured that when they are away for whatever reason their families have a safe comfortable home.
The fact that things have seemingly got this far is another illustration of the same kind of political hypochrasy of Johnson clapping the NHS but not paying them or funding it and you guys serving your/our country deserve better.
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This MQ sharing for single Officers was done at Hendon before it’s closure with the occupants getting food to cook themselves through the admin /catering system ….plus at Marham …..when I left as both had surplus MQs…..that was a long time ago
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Some of the quarters at Brize were also used as airmans accomodation, the ones near the civi garage on base. My mate was in one and they had the heating etc on 24/7 if it got to hot they regulated it by cracking a window open..The station i think must have regretted it when the bills rolled in as they were vacated soon after lol.
