Can you claim some kind of mileage allowance for driving off base to find somewhere where the food is within the lunch allowance? The whole place has gone barking mad!

Who is entitled and who is non-entitled?


I've never understood mesing charges as a 3 day stay in the mess at Valley with 3 meals a day cost a couple of quid and then one lunch in the mess at Benson about £2.50!?!

As I no longer live in, this desn't affect me too much, but I remember how frustrating all the random nause generated over charges for guests etc used to be.

...just one more to strike off the list of reasons to encourage me to stay in....

ZH
Alas Sir, you miss the point.
This is just the thin edge of the wedge because it now allows them to charge you more, by saying 'well look, you are still getting it at a much cheaoer rate than the civvies'

I am all for charging civvies more to eat in the mess, but they are such a minority you have to ask 'what is the underlying reason for the hype in charges' the reason I believe is pretty clear.......watch this space.
Kind regards
TSM

TSM

The SNCOs Mess at the secret DLO Headquarters in Cambridgeshire is like Joes Cafe at lunchtime. Many of the civil servants use it as a convenience. Though why this should be the case when your average 'Joes Cafe' serves a far better standard of food is beyond me

Part of the problem here is that an ecological system has been built up over the years where some messes rely on civilian usage to be viable. I work at a very small base where the lunchtime breakdown would be, typically, 1 or 2 RAF, 3 or 4 Civil servants & a varying number of contractors (usually no more than 6 or 7). Since this charge came in we have only had the RAF. This is not sustainable. The decision can only have come about from some total numpty following a formula that took no account of market dynamics. The probable upshot will be that the canteen will either close or (as the RAF singlies are "entitled") we will have a dramatically reduced service.
Another success for the nail in coffin brigade.

Sheer genius - New new rates
 

Revised rates as of today

Breakfast (Green Ticket) = £1.64 plus 24p VAT = £1.93
Dinner (Yellow Ticket) = £3.82 plus 67p VAT = £4.49
Main Meal (White Ticket) = £5.44 plus 95p VAT = £6.39

Is this a masterstroke by MoD? Put the price up to £8+ from £2+ then “lower” it to £4+….. This is then seen as both a retreat by the beancounters and a victory for the little man, when in reality it was a 100% increase. Genius