MoD told to prioritise military housing
Thursday, 29 November 2007 12:00 AM
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been told to get its priorities straight after it resurfaced tennis courts while many troops were living in substandard accommodation.
A report by the Public Accounts Commmittee (PAC) found the MoD spent nearly £2 million on building all-weather sports pitches and resurfacing tennis courts at the same time as cutting maintenance budgets.
Due to budget cuts, the department deferred £13.5 million allocated to maintenance work in 2006-07, meaning much of the housing stock missed out on necessary upgrades.
Conservative MP Edward Leigh, chair of PAC, said: "In response to funding cuts, the MoD put off essential maintenance work, but still found cash to build all-weather sports pitches and spruce up tennis courts.
"Nobody is saying it is inappropriate to offer leisure facilities on site, but the department has to get its priorities straight.
"Let's mend the leaking roofs first, then worry about the tennis courts."
MPs warned military living conditions will remain substandard for another two decades unless the department makes it a priority.
The committee found half of housing for single soldiers and 40 per cent of family homes was "poor".
The MoD says it is working on an upgrade programme but is having to overturn "decades of under funding".
Defence minister Derek Twigg said: "I'd like to reassure members of our armed forces and their families, that ministers are committed to doing all we can to provide good quality housing.
"I know that there are areas of the estate which require significant work, but we are making progress to improve accommodation - already 95 per cent of family homes are at the highest or second highest standard."
The MoD maintains fewer than 150 homes out of 50,000 are graded at the lowest level and these will be improved "as a matter of urgency".
Between 2001 and 2013, the department plans to upgrade 50,000 single living bed spaces and £30 million will be spent improving 4,000 family homes this year.
Opposition politicians have ceased on the report as evidence the government has broken the military covenant.
The Liberal Democrats said decent housing should be the "bare minimum" troops can expect under the military covenant but instead the government's attitude to military housing is "despicable".
Lib Dem defence spokesman Nick Harvey said the report raised "serious questions of competency" in the management of the MoD estate.
He added: "It is simply despicable that a time when the government demands so much of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, it sees fit to delay basic maintenance on their homes."
The Conservatives warn troops are now quitting the forces because of poor housing.
Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said it was "entirely unacceptable" for troops to be living in substandard accommodation.
He said: "The report is a sorry tale of money being wasted and a failure to prioritise the needs of service personnel.
"It is completely bizarre that in one case the resurfacing of tennis courts took priority over the repair of service homes."
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