Alistair Carns MP
DesignationMinister for Veterans
In April 2024, the Kerslake Commission captured a snapshot of the dire condition of military housing across the UK in its “Homes Unfit for Heroes” report.
It found thousands of military properties with infestations, unsafe electrical wiring, faulty heating systems leaving families shivering through winter, and persistent black mould climbing the walls, including in kids’ bedrooms. They also found that many maintenance requests had gone unanswered for months.
Some of you will have been involved in the Defence Committee’s own recent report, which highlighted the decades of underinvestment in the Defence Estate and concluded billions of pounds would be required to refurbish or rebuild all military housing to meet modern living standards.
Having served in the Royal Marines for 24 years, sadly, none of these findings came as a surprise to me. Nor did their assessment that this was having a devastating impact on morale and retention – and, by extension, on the operational effectiveness of our Armed Forces.
Whether you work in Westminster or RAF Wittering, everyone wants the best for their families and loved ones, starting with a safe and comfortable home. If your career does not enable that, you are likely to look for a different one.
As Labour came into government, the scale of our task spoke for itself: According to the Ministry of Defence’s own surveys, dissatisfaction with service accommodation had helped drive military morale to record lows. The reality is that years of underinvestment and short-termism from the Conservative Government left Armed Forces housing in a shameful state.
A Government Taking Action
So, we’re taking decisive action to stop the rot in military housing and deliver a decisive break with the past.
In January, we brought back more than 36,000 family homes from a private fund into public control, with our landmark Annington Homes deal. Ending what the Defence Secretary called “One of the worst Tory privatisations.” This agreement is already saving taxpayers more than £600,000 every day, with the elimination of the £230 million annual rent bill.
In April, we committed to a new Consumer Charter to give military personnel basic housing rights and standards. This includes more transparent property information, higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs, a named Housing Officer for every family, and access to a robust complaints system.
In May, through the Strategic Defence Review, we announced an additional £1.5 billion ringfenced to tackle the shameful state of many military housing estates – part of at least £7 billion in funding for the renewal of military accommodation over the next five years.
This funding is already enabling urgent repairs to fix unreliable boilers and leaky roofs and tackle damp and mould, with urgent works already getting underway to fix 1,000 of the worst homes.
Later this year, our new Defence Housing Strategy, which includes an independent review team of industry and forces families experts, will set out a plan for a generational renewal of the defence family estate, with new forces housing, better standards, and more members of our Armed Forces able to benefit from home ownership as we turbocharge the development of surplus military land.
Renewing the Nation’s Contract With Those Who Have Served
Our commitment to improve service life extends far beyond housing. Last year, we awarded the largest Armed Forces pay increase in 22 years. And this year, we followed that with another inflation-busting pay rise – in recognition of the outstanding work of our service men and women.
We’ve launched the recruitment process for an Armed Forces Commissioner, who will be an independent champion to represent the interests of personnel and their families, and we are putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law, strengthening the nation’s promise that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
Supporting Veterans’ Housing
My determination to provide good quality housing for our Armed Forces community also extends to our veterans.
We’ve committed £3.5 million for dedicated wraparound services for those at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness, and we have exempted veterans from outdated rules that require a connection to a local area for a veteran to access social housing in England.
Alongside the Deputy Prime Minister, I am working across government to ensure that our new long-term strategy to tackle homelessness will reflect the experiences of veterans and deliver for the armed forces community.
We also recently launched VALOUR, a new £50 million commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support, which will include support for veterans to access the housing they deserve.
Final Thought
After 24 years in uniform, I know how important military housing is to our service people and our national security. This is a Labour cause. Good housing isn’t just about bricks and mortar – it’s about pride and respect. It’s about happy families and fulfilling careers, which ultimately makes it about operational effectiveness.
The Kerslake Commission described the situation under the last Government as a “tax on the goodwill” of those serving. That was unacceptable.
Our landmark Annington Homes deal, our record investment in accommodation, and our broader reforms represent a decisive break with this failed approach of the past. This is what it looks like when we say we are renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve.
When we ask our Armed Forces personnel to risk everything for our country, the very least we can do is ensure they have a decent home to return to. That’s our promise to them, this is how we are delivering on it, and I believe it is something all parties should get behind.
Featured image via Loredana Sangiuliano / Shutterstock.
