£200 million funding boost for homes of Armed Forces personnel

A £200 million funding boost has been announced for homes of Armed Forces personnel which will include new furnishings, bathrooms and kitchens, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

More than 5,000 military personnel and their families will have their homes modernised as part of the plan, Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, announced during a visit to Catterick Garrison, in North Yorkshire, on Friday, with the Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

The MoD said the investment would also fund re-roofing and include measures to reduce the risk of mould and damp.

The work will make armed forces estates more environmentally friendly, with plans for better insulated doors and windows, energy-efficient boilers, solar panels and electric vehicle charging points.

There are also plans to replace 30 Second World War vintage accommodation blocks in Longmoor, Pirbright, Westdown, Knook, Nesscliffe and Castlemartin camps, providing new accommodation for on-call personnel in Northern Ireland.

The MoD said the upgrades are expected to sustain around 2,000 jobs over the next two years and will be delivered through the existing National Housing Prime contract.

Mr Wallace said: "Our armed forces work incredibly hard to keep our nation safe, and so it is only right that they have a place they feel proud to call home.”

He added that the investment would “benefit thousands of our personnel and their families, providing the standard of living they deserve".

Mr Sunak said it was the Government’s duty to ensure the Armed Forces “have the best conditions possible”.

"This news doesn't just mean service homes across the country will be upgraded, but will see 2,000 jobs in sectors where they are needed the most, like plumbing and decorating - delivering our Plan for Jobs,” he said.

The MoD said that £530 million has been invested in improvements to Service Family Accommodation over the last four years.

Meanwhile the Defence Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the procurement and use of tanks and will ask whether more must be done to ensure the Army’s ability to deploy its armoured division.

The groups chairman, Tobias Ellwood, warned that “modernising must be a priority for the MoD”. “Deploying an aging fleet leaves personnel vulnerable: the consequences of which may prove lethal,” he said.