UK military homes needed almost 250,000 repairs last year

2023-06-28

Ministers accused of leaving military personnel in homes with ‘broken boilers, leaking roofs and black mould’ after official figures reveal 230,000 call-outs for repairs and maintenance last year – an average of six per building

More than 4,600 of the call-outs are yet to be resolved according to figures
It comes at a time of shrinking satisfaction with military housing maintenance

Ministers were accused of leaving military personnel to tolerate ‘broken boilers, leaking roofs and black mould’ today after new figures revealed Armed Forces housing required almost a quarter of a million call-outs last year.

Repairs and maintenance visits to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the year to May totalled almost 230,000 – on average more than six per occupied home- the Government confirmed.

Information released to Labour also showed more than 4,600 of the call-outs are yet to be resolved – though there was no detail to show how long ago they had been raised. And there are more than 1,350 active complaints relating to housing.

It comes at a time of shrinking satisfaction with military housing maintenance among service personnel.

An official report released earlier this month found satisfaction had fallen from 37 per cent in 2015 to just 19 per cent in 2023.

Luke Pollard, the shadow armed forces minister, said: ‘Our armed forces personnel deserve homes fit for heroes.

‘No one should have to tolerate broken boilers, leaking roofs and black mould, let alone those who bravely serve our country.’

Call outs to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the year to May totalled almost 230,000 – on average more than six per occupied home- the Government confirmed.

An official report released earlier this month found satisfaction with military housing repairs and maintenance had fallen from 37 per cent in 2015 to just 19 per cent in 2022.

Luke Pollard, the shadow armed forces minister, said: ‘Our armed forces personnel deserve homes fit for heroes. ‘No one should have to tolerate broken boilers, leaking roofs and black mould, let alone those who bravely serve our country.’ Releasing the figures, Defence Minister James Cartlidge pointed out that the call-outs were not necessarily for complex or serious matters.

Releasing the figures, Defence Minister James Cartlidge pointed out that the call-outs were not necessarily for complex or serious matters.

‘Each month, on average, there will typically be over 20,000 repair and maintenance tasks raised for the circa 37,000 currently occupied SFA properties,’ he said in an answer to a written question.

‘This equates to each home having an average of five to six tasks carried out annually – ranging from changing bulbs in strip lights, grounds maintenance through to boiler repairs.’

And addressing MPs this week, fellow Defence Minister Andrew Murrison said: ‘The Ministry of Defence fully recognises the importance of safe, good-quality and well-maintained homes.

‘In the last seven years, the MOD has invested more than £936 million in service family accommodation. That includes £185 million last year on modernising homes, tackling damp and mould and improving thermal efficiency.

‘Currently, 97 per cent of MOD SFA meet or exceed the Government’s decent homes standard. Only those properties are allocated to service families. We strive to do better but, for context, the figure for social housing is 91 per cent.’;

Hundreds of troops and their families were left freezing without heating or hot water last December while they desperately waited for repairs in rundown military homes

Pinnacle faced questions over the scandal after it was given a £144million contract in March 2022 to manage Britain’s service family homes

Ministers are under fire from the opposition over the general state of military housing.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was forced to intervene last December when it was revealed hundreds of troops and their families had been left without heating or hot water over a cold weekend.

Sleeping bags were handed out to soldiers by private contractor Pinnacle, which faced faces mounting questions over the scandal after it was given a £144million contract in March 2022.

The company, whose boss earns £320,000 a year, responded to the crisis by setting up an emergency helpline – with an automated message that advised desperate callers to heat their pipes with hot water bottles or warm flannels.

Last week it was revealed that almost 800 Armed Forces families are living in potentially unsafe homes that are overdue gas safety checks.

Some 795 homes lacked a certificate – which shows they have been checked by a qualified engineer and pronounced safe to live in.

In a written statement Mr Cartlidge said he had given private contractors responsible for upkeep until the end of June to clear the ‘unacceptable’ backlog.

He said a number of factors were behind the delay including contractors being unable to get into the homes or failing to turn up to appointments, and a shortage of trained engineers to carry out the checks.

In his statement today Mr Cartlidge said that the Ministry of Defence is responsible for some 47,800 military homes in the United Kingdom.

This means that the number lacking gas safety certificates amount to just 1.6 per cent of the total.

Dr Murrison told MPs on Monday that there were 555 gas safety certificates outstanding and ‘almost all of them will be cleared by the end of June’.

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