Military Accommodation 'Unacceptable' Says Defence Committee Report

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• Military Accommodation 'Unacceptable' Says Defence Committee Report

11 December 2024 | Updated 13 December 2024

Service personnel and their families are living in accommodation rife with damp and mould, according to a new report into the defence estate.

An inquiry from The Defence Committee was launched in response to reports of serious issues with service accommodation during the winter of 2022–23. Satisfaction with the standard of accommodation fell to their lowest levels yet in 2023. 

29 per cent of service personnel cited accommodation as a factor influencing their intention to leave.

Michael Green, Chief Executive at DIO, described the state of the estate as “shocking” and estimated that two-thirds of SFA “needs rebuilding,” to meet modern standards.

Poor contractor performance and poor quality of maintenance and repair work have been identified as needing “demonstrable improvement”. 

 

“It is simply not acceptable to expect those who fight for their country to live in housing with serious damp and mould – conditions that pose a danger to their and their families’ health."

–Tan Dhesi MP

Chair of Defence Committee

 

Contractual Issues

 

The Ministry of Defence’s 2022 rollout of £640 million Future Defence Infrastructure Services (FDIS) contracts has faced several challenges. 

Awarded to Pinnacle Group, Amey Community Ltd, and Vivo Defence, the contracts were marred by IT failures, insufficient staffing, and slow response times, resulting in delays to address severe issues like heating and water outages, damp, and mould. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) admitted to losing control in the first year of the contracts, and contractors struggled with a large backlog of work.

The DIO withheld profits from contractors who failed to meet performance benchmarks and improvements have been reported, with contractors increasing staffing and meeting key performance targets by early 2024. 

However, satisfaction rates in the Armed Forces Continuous Attitudes Survey 2024 show only a modest recovery, with 27-28 per cent of respondents satisfied—still well below expectations. Families continue to criticise the complexity of the complaints system and communication failures, while citing incomplete and substandard repairs,  bodged jobs and a lack of contractual oversight of the work when it is completed—and they could not see how this represents value for money.

The report calls for ongoing funding commitments to improve the Defence estate before it deteriorates beyond repair, and before greater numbers of personnel decide to leave the military because of poor accommodation. 

Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP, said: “Our brave Servicemen and women and their families have a right to live in safe, decent accommodation. Yet evidence received recently by the Committee exposes the unacceptable conditions that many are having to endure. Service families’ trust has been further eroded by ongoing maintenance issues.

“It is simply not acceptable to expect those who fight for their country to live in housing with serious damp and mould – conditions that pose a danger to their and their families’ health.

“It is clear that many of these problems cannot be solved without major investment in the Defence estate. However difficult public finances might be, the Ministry of Defence and Treasury need to find a way to work together to make sure that all Service housing on offer genuinely meets a decent standard.

“The Ministry of Defence’s mishandled announcement on the allocation of Service accommodation has also left people in a state of uncertainty. Both low-quality accommodation and uncertainty over eligibility will only compound the recruitment and retention crisis facing our Armed Forces.

“Suitable accommodation is a key part of the offer to our forces. If the government is serious about addressing declining morale and low recruitment, then it needs to act fast.”

Amey released a press statement stating: "Our service levels and customer feedback scores have improved substantially since the Defence Committee began its inquiry. We have recruited additional engineers and customer support personnel, refined processes and are using new technology to help deliver more responsive services. Separately, the majority of homes prepared for Move In achieve standards agreed with DIO. We are not complacent and know there is more to be done to build back trust with service personnel and their families.

"We welcome the report’s conclusion that many of the issues now being experienced are due to an historic lack of investment in service family accommodation, poor original build quality and the recognition that substantial and ongoing funding commitments are required to improve the Defence estate. We remain committed to working with the DIO and the other contractors to continue to improve our services."

Picture: a photograph of the bottom corner of a room's walls, showing black mould above a wooden skirting board. Image Credit: Unsplash

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 11 December 2024

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