Military housing (Alamy)
3 minutes reading
Exclusive: One in 10 military homes has suffered from blight since 2022 as the armed forces continue to face a serious workforce crisis following an exodus of personnel.
Responses to Labor ministerial questions show that 5,123 serviced family homes – more than 10 per cent of properties – have been treated for pests in the past two years. The figures represent all reports of pests in service accommodation, including seasonal problems such as ants and bees.
Labour’s Shadow Forces Minister Luke Pollard said Government ministers were letting down the armed forces and their families with the “poor state of service”.
According to Department of Defense research, overall life satisfaction has dropped from 60 percent to 40 percent since 2010. The Ministry of Defense found that satisfaction with standard family homes fell from 52 percent in 2022 to 46 percent in 2023.
Meanwhile, the quality of maintenance and repair work on properties fell from 37 percent in 2015 to 19 percent in 2023.
RUSI, a defense think tank, found that the quality of Britain’s service accommodation had ‘long been recognised’ as a factor making it harder to retain staff.
A groundbreaking report from King’s College London in May, armed forces housing found that poor quality military accommodation had “become a burden on the goodwill of military personnel and their families”. The document found that satisfaction levels had fallen to a record low and was cited as a key reason for the decline in overall life satisfaction.
The lack of accommodation spans both the Labor and Conservative governments, and was believed to have been caused by “disinvestment, poor management and broken housing services”.
The strength of the British army fell by more than 7,000 to 7,430, while the number of people joining the armed forces fell by 2,260 last year, the equivalent of 17 percent. This is evident from figures from the British government. The number of people leaving the armed forces has increased by 12 percent since 2023 to 1,880.
Pollard said the Conservative government continued to let down the British Armed Forces and its families with its “poor record of service accommodation”.
“One in 10 serviced family homes being treated for pests is the latest example in a catalog of failures,” he said.
“The past fourteen conservative years have eaten away at the nation’s contract with those who serve. Staff live in damp and moldy housing and morale has fallen by a third since 2010 to almost 40 percent.
“In government, Labor will renew the country’s commitment to those who serve, set new standards for service housing and legislate for a Commissioner of the Armed Forces to act as a strong, independent champion for our armed forces and their families to ensure longevity to improve.”
The Defense Subcommittee launched an inquiry into serviced accommodation in July 2023 and will investigate the Ministry of Defense (MoD) to find out its plans to improve and modernize individual living spaces and family accommodation.
A row broke out after the Ministry of Defense blocked operating staff from contributing to the investigation. They had previously said any unauthorized disclosure could cause “damage” to the department and undermine trust between the armed forces, the government and the civil service.
Ultimately, the department granted service staff permission to contribute to providing testimony about living in poor-quality housing.
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: “While pests can attack homes anywhere, we take the condition of military accommodation very seriously and are investing in improving the housing stock.
“This includes investing a further £200 million, on top of £4 billion, to improve accommodation and build new living accommodation for our service staff over the next ten years.”
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of British politics anywhere on the web, offering high-quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
