Armed forces to be prioritised with new homes on MoD land
Brave members of the Armed Forces and their families are set to be given priority access to houses built on surplus Ministry of Defence (MoD) land, John Healey will announce today.
The Defence Secretary will unveil a “Forces First” approach to housing, which he claims will create new opportunities for veterans, in his speech at the annual Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
This will see Armed Forces personnel and veterans receive priority access to new homes built on surplus MoD land.
It will also see “high quality” service accommodation made available for serving members to rent, with Mr Healey saying this will “stop the rot” of poor military housing.
The MoD believes there is space for 100,000 new homes on surplus land.
A recent report from the Defence Committee found the quality of service personnel homes is “shocking”, revealing that mould and damp was driving people out of the Armed Forces.
Catterick Garrison, near Richmond, is the largest British Army base in the world, and has a population of around 13,000 people.
Yet in recent years, reports have claimed that there have been issues with hot water and showering facilities at some of the barracks in the base.
Mr Healey said: “Armed Forces housing was left in a shameful state by the Conservatives, hammering morale and driving a recruitment and retention crisis in our forces.
“In our first year in office, Labour began the hard work to stop the rot and start the renewal of Armed Forces housing.
“We will turbocharge building on defence land to deliver new homes for both our service personnel and for civilian families across Britain.
“This has all been unlocked by our historic deal to buy back 36,000 military family homes, reversing a failed Tory privatisation and saving the taxpayer billions.
“Our new ‘Forces First’ approach to building on MoD land will prioritise forces families and veterans for homeownership opportunities and deliver high-quality Service Family Accommodation.”