Military housing in ‘shocking’ state, MPs warn
Getty ImagesMPs have warned that damp and moldy accommodation could lead to more personnel deciding to leave the army unless improvements are made.
The House of Commons defense committee concluded that two-thirds of military family homes require “significant refurbishment or reconstruction” to meet modern standards.
The cross-party group said it had “no confidence” it would be able to provide funding to tackle the problem.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD) told the BBC that the report “exposes the dire state of services that this government has inherited and is determined to address.”
Two years ago, the BBC reported Military families live in a damp and moldy environment. At the time, the Department of Defense said it was working with contractors to improve services.
But the report released Wednesday said the problems “remain true.”
“It is shocking that prior to the policy change in 2022, it was considered acceptable to house families in properties known to be damp and moldy,” the report said.
In July 2023, the Defense Infrastructure Organization (DIO), which is responsible for the maintenance and services of military accommodation, was awarded £400 million to address these issues over the next two years.
However, the report said there were still “outstanding issues” across the estate that the DIO “must address”.
One person told the committee in written evidence that they conducted “investigations (multiple times)” into the wet conditions.
They were given a “standard package” to fix the problem, which they said was “reported to be largely unfit for purpose”.
“This one-size-fits-all approach wastes money and does not get to the root of the problem,” they said.
The DIO told the committee it was seeing “positive results” from a package of works that addressed damp and mold issues in “more than 80 per cent of cases”.
The committee said detailed statistics on the number of affected properties should be published by June next year and updated annually.
The report also highlighted the issue of single housing.
The report said there were “issues such as a lack of hot water during the winter months, heating failures, flooding, dampness, rat infestations and inadequate washing and cooking facilities”.
The report adds that “aging accommodation areas often fail to meet the requirements and standards of modern living”, which “has a negative impact on recruitment and retention”.
The report said 40% of people living in bachelor pads said their experience living there “increased their intention to leave the armed forces”, up from 34% in 2022.
“The ceilings are damaged, the bathroom and washing facilities are old and the furniture and fittings are over 40 years old,” a person familiar with the matter said in written evidence to the committee.
It “does not represent a modern fighting force,” they said.
But the committee said it was “not convinced” there was enough funding to address the issues it highlighted.
“The MoD acknowledges that current funding levels are insufficient to bring all services up to decent modern standards and that ‘investment will ultimately bring about change’.”
However, “in the current economic climate, and with so many competitive pressures on public funding, we are not confident that the sustained investment required will be available in future defense budgets.”
The report largely reflects the situation in May under the previous Conservative government, with little evidence taken under the current Labor government.
In response, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: “We are implementing our program of change through the renewal of national contracts with service members and we are working to improve the quality of housing for our personnel and their families, including developing new standards for service accommodation,” they said.
“We are committed to listening to the people’s voices and are establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner to serve as a strong, independent champion for personnel and their families to improve service life.”
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Labor chairman of the defense committee, said: “It is completely unacceptable to expect those who are fighting for their country to live in housing that is severely damp and moldy – conditions that pose a risk to their health and that of their families.”
“It’s clear that many of these problems cannot be solved without significant investment,” he said.
“No matter how difficult the public finances are, the Ministry of Defense and the Treasury need to find a way to work together to ensure that all service housing provided is truly of a decent standard.”
