Service housing standards 'poor'

The National Audit Office (NAO) said that at current rates of progress it will take the MoD 20 years to get all its housing stock up to standard.

In the meantime, more than 9,000 properties - 18% of the MoD's total stock of 50,000 homes - are standing empty, many because they are in the wrong location or they are too small for family needs.

As a result the MoD is spending £38 million-a-year on maintaining vacant properties while paying out £16 million annually on private rented accommodation for families it cannot house itself.

The NAO urged the MoD to sell off the surplus properties which it did not need as quickly as possible so that it can concentrate on getting the rest of its stock up to scratch.

At present, 57% of MoD homes are rated in the top condition one, with a further 33% rated condition two, while 4% are given the worst ratings of condition three or four. The state of the remaining 6% is not recorded.

However, a survey by the NAO, based on the responses of 12,427 service families, found that while 52% thought their property was in good condition, 31% said that it was "poor".

With service families often required to move at short notice, in line with military postings, the NAO said that they were given very little choice when applying for accommodation. When they moved in to their home, many were dissatisfied with the state in which it had been left. Forty-three per cent were unhappy about the state of the carpets, 40% with the garden, 38% with the general state of repair of the property, and 35% with the level of cleanliness.

Edward Leigh, the chairman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee which oversees the work of the NAO, said that the MoD was not moving quickly enough to upgrade its housing stock. "We ask a lot of our servicemen and women. It is the least we can do to house their families in Britain in decent accommodation," he said.

Defence Minister Kevan Jones said the MoD was committed to providing quality accommodation for service families, with £8 billion expected to be spent over the next decade on improving its housing stock. "I have taken a very personal interest in the condition of military housing and I am determined all military personnel get the high quality home they deserve. We owe them that," he said.