Ministry of Defence falls '˜woefully short' on military housing need, report says

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) has told the government it runs the risk of driving people away from the armed forces unless a ‘coherent and detailed’ housing strategy is developed.

The think tank’s paper, entitled The Home Front: The Future Accommodation Model For The UK Armed Forces, calls on the MoD to make significant changes to housing provision if it is to stay ‘affordable and relevant’.

The paper suggests the armed forces ‘should give increased priority to families’ accommodation’ and recognise that it is a significant element in the overall employment offer.

While RUSI acknowledges the MoD has recognised the need to reform through its Future Accommodation Model (FAM), the paper argues that the plans for this initiative are ‘woefully short on detail and methods of delivery, frustrating representatives of service families and other stakeholders’.

In response, an MoD spokeswoman said: ‘We are committed to providing our troops with accommodation that meets their needs and is good value. In the last three years, we have invested over £500m in housing and pledged a further £1.8bn through our Army Basing Programme to build thousands of new homes across the UK.

‘Our Future Accommodation Model will offer increased choice to a greater number of personnel and we have been clear we will consult troops and their families as this develops.’