Govt to invest in new armed forces housing

The government is to invest in new housing for the armed forces, as part of its Strategic Defence Review (SDR).

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the development of new forces housing, as part of its plan to unlock housing development on surplus MoD land.

The SDR adds an additional £1.5 billion for armed forces housing. More than £7 billion will now be spent across this parliament on new build single living accommodation alongside improvements to service family housing “to deliver a generational renewal of armed forces accommodation”, the government said.

This investment will be underpinned by the upcoming Defence Housing Strategy, for which the government previously announced a new Consumer Charter “to strengthen housing standards for forces families”.

The delivery of the Consumer Charter will prompt “immediate investment” in the renovation of 1,000 homes “in most need of repair”.

Improvements to service family accommodation include “urgent repairs and maintenance, from fixing unreliable boilers and leaky roofs to tackling damp and mould”. The MoD said it would tackle the “poor state of forces accommodation across the country”.

John Healey, defence secretary, said:” We are investing and acting fast, to fix forces …