Service Families Accomodation
Author: Great Britain. National Audit Office
Publisher: The Stationery Office
Published: 2009
Total Pages: 72
ISBN-13: 9780102954623
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe Ministry of Defence (MOD) has over 50,000 properties across the United Kingdom, providing housing for around 42,000 Service personnel and their families. A survey has revealed that, while 52 per cent of Service families feel their accommodation is in a good condition, 31 per cent are dissatisfied with the condition of their property. The MOD is currently undertaking a programme to upgrade Service family accommodation. In the last two years it has upgraded some 1,700 properties and will continue upgrading an average of 800 per year. At the current rate of upgrade, it would take some 20 years before all properties reached condition 1 (the highest of four standards). Each year there are over 20,000 Service family moves. Families were satisfied with the move out process, but less satisfied when moving in to a new property, with complaints about the state of carpets, the general condition, the standard of cleaning. Usually the accommodation is not seen before moving in, and personal family circumstances could be taken more into account when accommodation is allocated. The repairs service, run on a single contract in England and Wales, also came in for criticism from families. The MOD's provision of housing reflects better value for money than renting from the open market, but the current housing stock has been acquired over many years and in many cases is in the wrong location to meet demand. There is a shortage of properties for larger families. But the MOD also has 9,170 vacant properties. This is 18 per cent of its housing stock (against a target of 10 per cent), and vacant properties cost an average £4,200 each per year.
